The Rein of Rose
by xXxRoses-are-reDxXx
Summary: The sequal to The Prophecy of a Far Off Rose is finally here! To anyone who hasn't read it, I would stronly suggest reading it before this one or this one wont make much sense...A Difficult road lies ahead for Rose...full summary inside FINALLY COMPLETE!
1. Rose Doctor 4 eva

_Summary: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer:** oook this could be long so here goes… I don't own and of the characters in doctor who, I don't own Cadbury's instant hot chocolate or crunchie bars and I certainly don't own Legoland or Disneyland. In fact I don't own any of the words on this page because credit for that must go to the genius that came up with the idea of the dictionary_

_Rite, down to business, I finally got around to writing this sequel to "__The Prophecy of a Far Off Rose__". I have decided I'm not going to pay any attention to Billie Piper leaving and this is my attempt at rebellion. I will keep writing this for anyone who wants to see Rose live and I invite anyone to join me if they so wish…_

'Rose + Doctor 4 Eva' 

It was quarter passed one in the morning when the Doctor finally insisted o taking Rose back to the Tardis. Her head rested limply on his shoulder as she dragged her bare feet tiredly along the streets, her uncomfortable shoes in the Doctors one hand while his other clung protectively to her waste.

"How much further?" Rose whinged into his neck only half-heartedly. "My feet are killing me. And I keep getting little stones in my feet! Look!" she protested, attempting to lift one foot from the ground but losing balance and stumbling as a mixed result of exhaustion and wine, of which the had drank liberal amounts after the nights revelations.

Steadying her by pulling her closer, the Doctor chuckled softly as he answered in reassuring tones. "We parked just outside the village remember? Another ten minutes and we'll be home."

"Oh but that's ages away and it's really cold!"

The Doctors amusement simply intensified as he handed her back her shoes and began buttoning up his jacket, which she still had wrapped around her, drowning her petit frame. "Rite my little princess," he joked, looking up in time to catch the still overwhelmed look Rose wore on her face. "There's only one thing for it, arms around my neck please!" And with that he swept her off her feet, smiling at the small giggle that followed as he set off on the ten minute journey home that was now looking more like fifteen.

He carried Rose with ease, her light breath warming his neck as she nestled her head closer than he thought was possible, all the while praying to god that he was going the right way. After all, these streets were hard enough to navigate in the daytime, never mind night. Some twenty minutes later, the Doctor finally set Roses sleepy form down by the Tardis, (the extra five minutes accounting for his accidental detour somewhere near a church that he swore wasn't there on the way to the restaurant.)

"Hang in there a minute sweetheart, I just need to find the key." He said sympathetically as he reached for the inside of the coat pocked, wrapped tightly around the young girls shivering body. He gave her a cheeky grin as he felt her intake of breath at his touch. They stood there for a further ten minutes while the Doctor produced all manor of things from his coat, including the sonic screwdriver, half a Crunchie (which Rose happily finished off) and even a driving license from Legoland ("Fantastic! I was looking for that!"). Finally, he managed to retrieve the Tardis key from a pile of rubbish he had already discarded in Roses hand.

"Well," he whispered holding her tightly by the waste. "Take a good look around Rose, I shouldn't think we will ever see this place again, it's so hard to locate." Rose sighed deeply into his arms before an idea struck her, an opportunity too fantastic to pass up. She had always wanted to do it ever since seeing it in a film when she was seven. Taking the key from his hand, Rose ran unsteadily to a nearby tree and began to carve a message into it. The Doctor strolled over to where she worked and read the words 'Rose + Doctor 4 eva' encircled in a heart. Smiling, she turned to face him and looking up into his eyes she said, "now a part of us will never have to leave."

Lost for words, the Doctor lifted Rose off the ground and took her in a heart-stopping kiss, before holding her close to his body and vowing to never let her go. They stood there for several seconds before an involuntary yawn from Rose brought them both back to reality.

"Come on," he whispered softly in her ear, almost lulling her to sleep. "You've had a pretty full on day, lets get you inside." Rose, now in possession of the key fumbled with the lock for quite some time before the Doctor took pity on her, enclosing her trembling hands in his own steadier ones and helping her turn it. He opened the door over her shoulder and led her to a living room in the same corridor as his bedroom, where she collapsed onto the settee with such subtle enthusiasm that the Doctor could not help but laugh before kneeling down in front of her.

"Why don't you go and put some pj's on while I make you some hot chocolate?" He suggested while stroking a strand of hair off her tired face. She nodded appreciatively and he left for the kitchen, choosing to let her get up in her own time.

Once he was sure that the kitchen door was shut, the Doctor finally let his guard drop. Leaning against the work surface, he flicked on the kettle and ran his fingers through his hair as Rose had already done so many times that evening. Letting out a deep sigh, he began to order his thoughts. He knew he was happier than he had ever been now that he could call Rose his own. But at the same time, he could not suppress the uneasy mixture of guilt and sorrow that had concocted itself somewhere in his midriff. It bubbled away quietly, forcing him to think of all the difficulties that Rose was bound to encounter now she knew her true destiny. It was only a matter of time before her true parentage became an issue never mind the heartache of ruling what was essentially a dead planet. Needless to say, the Doctor knew that stormy waters lay ahead. Forcing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he quickly set about his original task of making Roses drink. After much rooting, he finally found the Cadbury's instant hot chocolate she loved so much and added it to the Tinkerbell mug he had bought her on a recent trip to Disneyland. Adding the hot water (that by this time he had had to re-boil twice), he made his way to the door before turning back and adding squirty cream and marshmallows with chocolate sprinkles, just for good measure.

Upon returning to the living room, he found Rose resting comfortably on the couch wearing one of her many pairs of slippers that she liked to spread around the Tardis so she didn't have to walk to far, and the very shirt he had been wearing earlier in the day. "Hey," she greeted him. "I couldn't be bothered to go all the way to my room so I borrowed one of your shirts. You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not." He replied handing her the drink and sitting behind her so her upper body rested on his. "It looks better on you anyway. And might I say, it goes very well with your slippers!"

Rose simply giggled at the comment and finished her drink before snuggling up to the Doctor, enjoying the safe feeling she got from being completely surrounded by him. They lay in silence for a while and finally, her steady breathing signified that Rose had fallen asleep. The Doctor wrapped her up tighter in his arms, lifting her off the settee and onto the bed in his bedroom. Silently, he got himself ready for bed and slipped into bed beside her, making sure she was covered well enough. He held her close as she slept, tracing the features of her face with his fingers as his mind wandered back into her rocky future. Finally deciding that whatever happened in the morning, it would really be the Doctor and Rose forever and the best thing he could do was make sure she had at least one perfect nights sleep, he whispered in her ear "I love you Rose."

"I love you too Doctor." She answered dreamily in a way that assured him she was blissfully unaware of the road that lay ahead.

_Well that's it, please review and tell me if you like it, if you do ill carry on carrying the torch for anyone who wants Rose to live. And I no this chapter was very fluffy (it made me feel quite sick writing it lol, just kidding) but it's a bit of a set up for the journey that lies ahead for Rose and I promise next chapter is going to be shockingly different and things are going to get tough for Rose on an emotional level…_


	2. Who am I?

_Summary: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer:** rite, once again I don't own any of the Doctor Who characters so please don't sue me nice BBC people (oh I don't own BBC either, thought I'd better mention that since I just wrote about them. Once again I don't Cadbury's Crunchie bars (although I wish I had one right now. Also I don't own the "Doomsday" episode that is mentioned in this chapter because if I did it would have had a very different ending._

_Rite, before we begin I would like to dedicate this story to my dear friend Nicola otherwise known as _aruora.grissom _who gave me inspiration to write it. Rite then… here goes…_

**Who Am I?**

Rose's heart slammed repeatedly against her chest, aching as she tried desperately to draw breath. She thrashed about, trapped by unfamiliar sheets as claustrophobia began to wash over her, compressing her chest until she was sure she could no longer be breathing. Unable to create a sound, she tried desperately to free herself. Eventually she managed to manoeuvre herself to the edge of the bed, which unfortunately resulted in a sharp fall and a heavy blow to the head. It took a few minutes for Rose to sit up. Even as she did she felt the unforgiving throbbing in her head that she associated with the alcohol of the night before. Tears streamed freely down her face as cold sweat began to sting the cut on her forehead. Shaking violently, she tried to block out the memory of the nightmare she had been having but however hard she tried, it swam back through her brain with twice as much violence.

Daleks. Cybermen. War on earth. It had all felt so real. The Doctor had tried to send her away to save her but she had refused. For one glorious moment she had thought everything would be okay, just her and the Doctor forever. But then it had all gone wrong, so so wrong. The force had been too strong for her, or rather she had been too weak. As hard as she had tried, she was unable to hold on and was eventually pulled headfirst into a Doctorless universe, where she could never be happy. Leaving behind her heart.

As if this hadn't been terrifying enough, Rose's memories persisted, as much as she willed them to stop, filling her body with painful fear.

It was a year after that fateful day when she found herself standing in Bad Wolf Bay, desperately searching for the one thing that had given her hope since she'd lost him. Then she saw him. Standing right In front of her, yet she could not touch him. The one thing she wanted more that anything in the world and the one thing in the world she couldn't have. She had told the Doctor she loved him, and she had been so sure he would say it back. But he faded away leaving her alone in a universe full of people who would never understand who she really was. That was when she died. Although her physical form lived on, her heart broke and died, forcing her to live an empty broken existence that she could not escape.

This is where she had woken finally after being trapped inside her worst fear, losing the Doctor. Shakily she got to her feet, feeling hot tears running down her face, and set off to find her Doctor, needing to see the real him, needing to know that he was not just the holographic image of her subconscious. It took her half an hour to find him, each minute becoming more irrational until she finally heard him singing Chesney Hawkes "One and Only" in the kitchen. She stood in the doorway and sighed heavily as she spied the Doctor's completely solid form.

"Good morning!" He cried, a little louder than was necessary. "I wondered when you might drop in!" he continued, barely having time to face her before she flung herself into his arms, clinging to him for dear life and crying into his shoulder. "Christ you really don't like hangovers do you?" he said, somewhat confused as he attempted to comfort a completely hysterical Rose. "Come on your head cant be that bad! We've drank more than this before!" He cast around for something to say, now completely bewildered. "I made coffee! Rose… come on calm down… Oh my god Rose what the hell happened to your head?" he suddenly exclaimed, noticing for the first time his now bloodstained shirt that had been clean on that morning. He pulled her out of his chest so as to get a better look at her. "Bloody hell! That looks really nasty," he sympathised, drawing a finger over her forehead as if assessing the damage. She gave a quiet hiss as he touched the cut area and flinched to signify it hurt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't understand! You were fine when I left you an hour ago… Sweetheart, what happened?"

"I had a nightmare…" She replied. The Doctor's heart sank as he pulled her into his chest letting her fresh tears soak silently into his already ruined shirt. Almost certain he knew what this was about, he lifted her shaking body onto the kitchen work surface, placing his arms on either side of her legs. "I need you to tell me what happened." He said so softly that Rose didn't think she could deny him anything. She was reluctant at first, but as she progressed the images flooded her memory once more and she began to ramble on with all the hysteria she had possessed upon first entering the room. Twice the Doctor had had to catch her as she collapsed in torrents of fearful tears. So all in all, he was glad when an hour later he had finally managed to extract the full story, but somehow he could not help but entertain ideas of her ordeal being loosely tied to finding out she was the princess of Gallifrey.

"Right," he declared so suddenly that it shocked her. "Time for some more hot chocolate I think…" He said quite randomly, thinking it best to give her a few minuets to compose herself, but not daring to leave the room in case she completely fell apart and collapsed to the floor or something. And sure enough, his plan worked, as it so often did. For by the time he had finished his masterpiece of a drink (this time with squirty cream, chocolate dust and both white and milk chocolate buttons) Rose was quite quiet. Approaching her, he couldn't help but smile as he noticed she was holding her breath in an attempt to quieten the sobs. The Doctor lifted himself up onto the counter next to her and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. "It was just a dream Rose, you do know that don't you?" he asked warmly as he fed her squirty cream and buttons from the tip of his finger, which she gratefully received before replying.

"I guess so… it just felt so real!"

"I no sweetheart. You've had a lot to deal with what with the prophecy and everything. I think this just hit a bit close to home. How are you feeling now?"

"Erm… okay I guess. A bit faint if anything…"

"Oh god!" he exclaimed with such force that Rose jumped and he spilled the hot chocolate all over the floor. "I completely forgot about your head! No wonder your feeling faint, imagine how much blood you must have lost!"

"Doctor, honestly I'm fine! Calm down." She replied but even as she said it she felt the room spin as she went visibly dizzy.

Calming himself down for Rose's sake, the Doctor took control of the situation. Bundling her up in his arms, he carried her away to his bedroom while insisting that she "listened to her doctor for once in her life."

Once there, he laid her down on the bed and placed a soft kiss on her lips to relax her before taking the sonic screwdriver and another Crunchie from the pocket of his jacket which hung on the back of the door. "Here," he said sitting down, one arm on either side of her relaxed form. "Eat this, I'm not happy about your blood sugar levels."

"What is it with you and Crunchie's?" she teased and the Doctor pealed back the wrapper, bit one end off and placed the rest in her open mouth.

"Just eat it and stop being smart or I'll make you have the medicine instead. And trust me, it's not nice." He joked as he lifted the screwdriver delicately to her head and set to work healing the cut.

Rose ate the chocolate quietly, shivering slightly as he touched her face. "How's it going?" she asked some ten minutes later, trying to ignore the thoughts of the Doctor currently going through her mind, hoping to god he want currently practising his psychic abilities.

"I'm just about done. You'll have some bruising but I've closed the wound."

"I love it when you talk technical." She said with shameless flirtation.

The Doctor gave her a suggestive smile before swooping down and kissing her, setting her skin instantly on fire as she wound her hands through his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to her. Finally he pulled away, laughing as Rose followed him up trying to carry on the kiss. "You Rose Tyler, you are an extremely bad influence on me!" he half whispered in slightly breathless tones before drawing a line of butterfly kisses down her neck. "But the Doctor orders rest, and rest is what you shall have." She smiled up at him, finding herself hopelessly attracted to his medical talk. Noting this, the Doctor smiled to himself, making a mental note to take advantage of this power more in future, before lifting her up and heading towards the living room where he planned to distract her with a film. He ducked into the laundry room on the way and helped her into one of his clean navy blue T-shirts, noticing some bruising to her ribs as he did so. He ran a hand gently over he olive skin and noting her obvious pain, scanned her ribs with the sonic screwdriver. Several minutes later, he finally seemed satisfied that nothing was broken and delicately pulled the shirt down he bruised chest. Luckily it was long enough to cover her to roughly the length of your average mini-skirt. "You probably hit it as the same time as your head. I'm not worried about it but if it starts hurting when you breath just tell me and I'll get you something for the pain ok?" he said, giving her a sly grin as she once again giggled at his medical terminology. Discarding his own shirt in the washing machine, he lifted Rose off the dryer, where she had been perched and carried on down the hall way while she rested her head on his now bare chest.

Rose awoke several hours later, having fallen asleep during the film to find the Doctor watching her, arms snaked around her waste.

"Nice sleep?" he asked, stroking her stomach through the T-shirt.

"Yes thanks. Doctor? I was thinking… before I fell asleep that is."

"Oh dear god, do I want to hear this?" he joked with mock concern.

"Oh ha ha! I'm serious!"

"Sorry. You were thinking…"

"Yes. Well, I think the reason I got so upset about the nightmare was because it was close to home, like you said. I mean, the bit that scared me the most was when you faded away and I had to live without you…"

"Rose you don't have to…"

"No Doctor, I do have to. The reason it scared me so much is because you are the only person who knows who I really am. You know about the prophecy and my past and my… my parents. Because I no Doctor. I no that mum, that is to say Jackie. I no that she isn't my real mum. And that's why I can't live without you. Because even I don't know who I am. You are the only one who knows me. I need you to help me find myself."

He looked at her with such passion that she knew he understood. "Rose," he breathed holding her close to his chest, "I'm never going to leave you. Do you hear me? Never. And you're right, I do no you better than anyone else because I love you. So you don't need to be scared anymore, ok sweetheart?"

She replied by placing a soft, but lingering kiss on his chest, which he returned on her hand. Shifting herself slightly so she could reach his lips, she kissed him once more. Softly at first. But gradually becoming more insistent. What had started at harmless fun was fast becoming something else altogether. The Doctor sat up, slipping his hands under her T-shit as he deepened the kiss, drawing circles across her skin an slipping his tongue in and out of her mouth teasingly until she was practically begging him to go further. Finally, he surrendered himself to her demands and lifted her off the settee, never breaking the contact. He quickly carried her down the corridor, which seemed to have become a lot longer all of a sudden, and fumbled with the door handle as Rose worked on his neck, making it very difficult for his hands and brain to work together. He finally got the door open and dropped Rose seductively onto his bed before kicking the door shut with a satisfying bang that assured the Tardis they would not be wanting to be disturbed…

… _And CUT! Lol, sorry couldn't help myself, I think I'll leave it to your imaginations what happened next. Sorry it took so long to get this up guys but I kind off went off the boil after Doomsday and decided to take some time off. Which actually paid off because at first I had no intention of including Rose's dream and the chapter that will now be chapter 3 was meant to be this one. So you've ended up getting an extra, if slightly random, chapter! Anyway, went to London to see Billy Elliot on Monday and it was fantastic so I would recommend it to anyone._

_Oh and I'm aware that somewhere I spelled Waste wrong, (it would have been waist in the context that I meant it) and there are probably a few other mistakes but I will be correcting this in future as I've just got me a beta reader, the lovely Nicola has agreed to take on the role so you guys don't have to sit through any more of my atrocious spelling. _


	3. A Rose By Any Other Name?

_**Summary**: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer**: ok, I don't think there is a lot in this chapter that I need to give up my claim to so straight to business. I still don't own Doctor Who unfortunately but it there ever comes a time when I do you can be sure that I will sing it from the rooftops. Sadly the good old Crunchie doesn't make an appearance in this chapter so I don't need to deny all ownership of it but don't worry Crunchie people, it will be back next chapter with vengeance! _

_Right, here is chapter three. Just wanted to say a big shout out to everyone who has reviewed so far: __xX-Silver-and-cold-Xx__Mr Waspy__LJQ__The-Time-Wolf__mishy-mo__ and __aruora.grissom__. you guys rock like socks! This chapter id dedicated to you all!_

**A Rose by Any Other Name?**

That night her dreams had taken her down a very different path to the former, and when Rose awoke the following morning a wonderful light feeling washed over her.

"Good morning." Smiled the Doctor, whom she spied leaning on the doorframe wearing a pair of trousers and a towel wrapped around his neck.

"It's far too early for you to be flashing that six pack about mister." She replied, referring happily to his exposed, not to mention extremely well toned abdomen.

He laughed cheekily as he strutted over to the bed where she lay and placed a flirtatious kiss on her bruised head, beads of water fell from his hair and down her nose as he pulled her into a sitting position on the bed.

"How are your ribs?" He asked a little more seriously, continuing to pull her to her feet and covering her T- shirted body with his oversized dressing gown. "Any pain when you breathe?"

"No, it feels fine."

"I see… what about when I do this?" he asked suddenly reaching for her waist and tickling her as she screamed into his chest, begging him to stop through desperate giggles. When the Doctor finally released his hold, Rose retaliated by punching him several times before taking pity and helping him into a shirt.

"There, that's much better for my eyesight." She commented, letting her eyes wander over his now covered upper body and leading him by the hand towards the kitchen, where she had every intention of him making breakfast.

Taking the hint, the Doctor busied himself, making toast and filling the table with cereal, orange juice, milk and butter. All the while keeping a watchful eye on Rose who, noticing this, looked nervously at her feet. Neither one spoke to the other as the Doctor watched her pour milk over her corn flakes while buttering his own toast.

This carried on for a further five minutes until finally Rose could take no more. "I wish you wouldn't do that you know!" she exclaimed fiercely, shocking him out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"Look at me like I'm about to explode!" she cried, moving around the table to sit on his knee. "I'm okay Doctor." She added more sympathetically. "Really, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"I no sweetheart, it's just because I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you." He replied, squeezing her waist as she snuggled into his neck. She loved it when he called her sweetheart. It was fast becoming the norm of their relationship and she just thought that it suited them perfectly.

"I no, and I love you too." She whispered, feeding him toast and running her free hand through his damp hair. They finished their breakfast in each other's arms, each one thinking about the prophecy but neither wanting to admit it. Finishing her breakfast, Rose kissed the Doctors cheek and left for the bathroom, allowing him to clean up the mess.

Being alone in the kitchen gave him time to reflect on his companion's behaviour. He couldn't help but admire her for putting on such a brave front and insisting that she was okay. However deep down he knew that was all it was, a front.

For even last night would not be enough to distract her from her true self for too long and sooner or later they would both have to face it. Putting away the rest of the breakfast materials, he made his way into the control room and stared into the time vortex, remembering the time Rose had taken it into herself. This had been the first time he has thought of The Prophecy of the Far Off Rose. Even then it had struck him as slightly too strange to be coincidental that she not only shared her name with one of the oldest myths in the universe, but had also managed to do the impossible by absorbing the vortex. The sound of running water somewhere in the depths of the Tardis brought him back to his senses and he knew she would be thinking very similar things to him.

As it happened, Roses thoughts could indeed be found following the same path. As she let the water run down her face, she let it wash away the worry of yesterday. Taking a shower had never failed so far to clear her mind and it was suffice to say she did not feel let down. She ran conditioner through her hair as she ordered her thoughts, planning the best way to approach the Doctor with what she wanted to say...

When Rose entered the control room an hour later she was not too surprised to find him tinkering about under the control column. Not wanting to shock him, she crawled carefully into the space and perched herself on his torso, all the while aware that she was now entering his dominion.

"Hello!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as she beamed down at him. He seemed to have regained some of his cheeky flirtatious nature in her absence as he flashed her that famous grin. "You've come to visit me in my hole! I feel honoured!" she giggled at him as he winked and tickled her waist again. "So princess, where would you like to go?" He asked, easing them both out from under the console and getting ready to fiddle with buttons in a way that always made Rose sure he had no idea what he was really doing.

"Actually Doctor," she said a little nervously, making him turn to face her, eyebrows raised. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about… the whole princess thing I mean. I thought it was about time I started sorting things out… back home."

"I take it you're talking about Jackie?" the Doctor questioned, a lot calmer that she had anticipated.

"Yeah…"

He walked over to her, putting a comforting arm around her waist while the other lifted her head to his eye level. "What do you want to know?" he asked, his tone assuring her she was on completely safe ground.

"Well, how did I end up living with mum, I mean Jackie, no I mean mum… Oh I don't know!" she cried as he stroked the back of her neck.

"Well…" he mimicked, reflecting her tone perfectly. "When I said there was no documentation of the prophecy, that wasn't totally true."

"You mean you lied."

"No, I just glossed over certain bits and simplified it ever so slightly."

"Which is Gallifreyan for I lied." Rose teased her tongue between her teeth.

"Okay okay! So I may have omitted certain truths," he confessed, feeling cornered. "But that's hardly the point!"

"So what is the point?"

"The point is that there was one written account. A book penned by the Emperor of Gallifrey himself, meant only for his viewing, a book non-the-less that I managed to save after the Time War."

"You… you have a book written by the emperor? By my…my father?" Rose asked, the last part barely audible as she looked up at him wide eyed, all the former playfulness in her voice extinguished.

The Doctor did not answer, but simply took her hand and to his surprise noticed how shaken she had become. He led her by the small of her back into the library, a room where he was sure she had never been. He set her down in the armchair where she watched intently as he pulled a dusty, aged manuscript from the far bookcase and took it back over to her.

"Now, I know you're going to want to read it all. It's your heritage so it's understandable, but for now I need you to read this passage here. It should answer your question." He instructed, indicating to a particular page and placing it in her knee before perching on the arm of the chair next to her.

She began to read aloud, quickly realising the Doctor had turned to the bit where she had been left on Earth. "_Stepping out of my ship, I became aware that I had reached my destination of 20th century Earth, London to be precise. Now my main concern turned to finding the perfect home for my stolen angel. _" Rose stopped, unable to continue as fresh tears fell delicately down her face.

The Doctor took the book gently from her hands and carried on while she buried her face in his side. "_Looking around, I saw a children's hospital nearby I approached the door and walked into the bustling reception area, surprised as no one reacted to my strange attire._

_I followed the signs to maternity where I soon found the nursery, sneaking in, I reluctantly placed my girl in a cot with another small girl and said my heartbreaking goodbye, hoping that the staff would assume her to be abandoned by a desperate mother and would put her in the care of another loving family._

_Although it broke my heart to say goodbye, I knew I had done the only thing I could do to protect her from the death and destruction that lay ahead on my home planet. _" He put the book down on a small coffee table and wrapped her up in his arms, slipping down beside her in the chair.

He stroked her hair soothingly as she sobbed quietly, feeling completely overwhelmed and let down at the thought of being abandoned on a foreign planet.

Sensing her emotions he whispered, "He only did it because he loved you, you need to understand that or you'll tear yourself apart. Don't judge him too harshly sweetheart." There it was again, that one name that he reserved for her, making her feel instantly warm and calm.

"I no." she croaked before pulling herself together. "So, did Jackie- mum- did she adopt me? Is that how I ended up with her? Yes, that makes sense her and Pete adopted me, right?"

"No sweetheart. I've done my research and Jackie was definitely in maternity that night, with a new-born child." He said cautiously, not sure how she would react. Devastation seeped through his hearts as he saw the broken look in her wide, glassy eyes as she stared up at him.

"No! You're wrong! You can't be right, because if you are, that means… that means… Doctor what the hell does that mean?" Rose asked, now clearly terrified.

"That means, the hospital made a mistake, that girl you were lying next to in the nursery, that was Jackie Tyler's real daughter and she is still out there somewhere, probably having spent her entire life so far in foster care, the life that was meant for you."

"No! I'm Jackie Tyler's daughter! No one else! This isn't fair!" she looked up at him, the fear now etched into her beautiful, young but tired features. "Doctor, is there really another Rose out there?"

"So it would seem…"

_so there you go, another chapter under my belt. Hopefully the next chapter shouldn't take too long as I'm quite excited, I feel a long overdue Doctor/Rose shouting match coming on, he he! Ok just a quick plea to you guys, I love you all for reading and please please please could you review after reading this because I really enjoy reading them. _


	4. A Selfish Kind Of Loneliness

_**Summary**: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

**_Disclaimer: _**_ladies and gentlemen the Crunchie is back! Unfortunately I still don't own it but I did eat one this morning, does that count? Anyway, I don't own any of Doctor Who either, not that I haven't been trying… lol. Right, I think that's it but if I've missed anything then I don't own that either._

_Right, now we are getting to the part where I tell you the new chapter comes next, the commence with a list of my loyal reviewers even though that is quite clearly not the chapter I just introduced! So I would like to thank these people for reviewing my last chapter:_I-Confuse-Everyone _(hope your holiday rocked babes),_ da ruth and LJQ _thanks you guys! This chapter is for you and my fab beta reader Nicola!_

_Rite here's the new chapter… (No really)…_

**A Selfish Kind Of Loneliness **

Rose disentangled herself from the Doctor's arms and walked over to one of the many bookcases.

She ran a finger aimlessly across the dusty books, not noticing the intense worry in his eyes.

She let the information wash over her from head to toe; trying to make some sort of sense of it as her world threatened to crumble down around her.

"Rose…" He whispered, standing behind her, hands in pockets. "Are you okay?"

"So what do we do now?" she asked, choosing not to answer his first question._ 'Does he really expect me to be okay?' _she thought, more than a little annoyed by his blunt manor.

"Well, we have to tell your mum. You do know that don't you? We have to tell her the truth."

"No we don't!" Rose shouted, spinning on her heal to face him with such venom that the Doctor almost cowered.

"We don't have to tell her anything, and we're certainly not going to! I mean, we don't even know if you're right, No offence but you can't be right all the time!"

The Doctor felt stung. It was hard to tell which part had hurt him the most but there was such a look of anger about him that Rose faltered. This gave him a chance to retaliate. "You're a god damn Time Princess Rose! What more proof do you want?"

"How do you even no that? Why can't I just be a simple human?"

"Because a simple human can not take the time vortex into herself. For the love of Gallifrey Rose you're a Time Princess! Don't you dare try to deny it, I've waited too long for you to deny it!" he shouted even louder that her former raised tone, holding her fiercely by the shoulders as though understanding was going to seep into her through his fingers. Rose's eyes filled with tears as she stared up, terrified by this new Doctor. She had never been on the receiving end of the Doctor's temper before and had only ever seen him use it on other creatures.

Determined not to cry, she pushed passed him and made for the control room. Disgusted with himself for losing his cool so easily, he set off after her, hoping to pull the situation back into safe waters. Unfortunately all he got was round two.

"You knew," she whispered, staring hard into the vortex. "You've known since Christmas and you didn't tell me!" she carried on, finding her voice once more.

"I had to be sure, then I had to wait for your birthday." He replied simply, watching her face fall as she was forced to except this explanation as fare enough. "Rose," he continued, stepping a little closer.

"I didn't mean to shout back there. I no I scared you and I'm… I'm sorry."

"Whatever!"

"Rose don't…"

"Where are we?"

"What?"

"Where are we?" She repeated, staring at him with stone cold determination.

"Earth… Tardis must have landed us here."

"Good!" she shouted. "Don't wait up!" And with that she was gone.

Right out of the front door and round the corner before the Doctor finally managed to catch up with her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, slightly breathless. "We need to talk to Jackie remember!"

"You're not getting this are you? I don't want mum to know! I won't tell her, you can't make me!" Rose spat back at him, not caring that she sounded like an irrational child. "She's _my _mum! Mine, no one else can have her and I'm dammed if I'm going to watch her leave me the same way my father did!"

'_So that's what this is all about, t_hought the Doctor as he watched his teary eyed angel storm off across the road. Thinking a little cooling off time might be in order, he walked back to the Tardis, knowing that she would come home when she was ready. He hadn't anticipated Rose's father being such a problem, but now he thought of it, he couldn't help but see how obvious it was that Rose would be hurt by it. The only thing he could do now was to give her time to think, and hope that she would come round to his way of thinking.

Rose stormed down the streets of London, her brain boiling with hot anger. She knew she was being selfish, but it as completely his fault anyway. Okay, so maybe it wasn't his fault, but whom else could she blame? _'Except maybe yourself?' _said the voice in her head _'no, not an option.' _Right now she just needed to be selfish, and the Doctor's intergalactic credit card seemed like the perfect place to begin…

"Oh this is getting ridiculous!" he cried in frustration to no one in particular, not that there was anyone there to listen anyway.

Yes, she had been pretty angry when he had left her, but how long did it take to calm down? "She's so stubborn!"

'_Of course she is!' _said a voice in his head that could have been his own, could have been the Tardis'. _'Had you expected it to be easy? This is a Tyler you're dealing with Doctor! Or had you forgotten that?'_

The truth of the matter was that yes, the Doctor had quite forgotten Rose was a Tyler. As they spent more time together he had come to think of her as his family, she was Gallifreyan like him. Except he had forgotten about Jackie, and he could always count on Jackie to mess things up. It had been a shock when Rose had referred to Jackie as 'mum' and it had reminded the Doctor that in many ways they were still very different.

Meanwhile, twelve shops and sixteen purchases later, Rose couldn't help but feel her earlier anger and defiance slipping away and giving way to feelings of guilt and remorse. Feelings that only intensified when none other that Jackie Tyler sat down beside her in the coffee shop Rose had been sat in for some ten minutes.

"Hello!" Jackie squealed excitedly, putting down her shopping bags next to her daughters. "Where's that Doctor? It's not like you to go anywhere without him these days, he hasn't hurt you has he?" She gasped, brushing back Rose's hair to reveal the bruise.

"No! Of course not!" Rose answered with outrage, choosing to leave out the part about them currently not talking.

"Okay I was just asking! Oh Rose I've missed you so much! I get so lonely you know, not having my little girl around any more." Jackie gushed.

Rose felt her heart (or maybe hearts) break as her mother continued. She was starting to think the Doctor was right, they had to tell Jackie the truth. Just not now, that was all.

"Listen mum, I have to go and meet the Doctor." Rose lied after another half-hour of feeling guilty. "But we will come round for tea soon, me _and_ the Doctor. I promise, Love you. " She said a hurried goodbye and ambled out onto the street with her shopping bags before her emotions threatened to take over again.

She just wanted to go home, To her Tardis, and her Doctor. Even if it meant apologising. So she set off home, stopping in only one shop in the way as she felt a small gift was in order… on his credit card of course…

Extremely frustrated by this point, the Doctor wandered into the console room for what felt like the fifty-thousandth time since she had gone, this time to be greeted by a small gift bag on the control panel.

He opened it slowly and pulled out a pack of five Crunchie's and a post-it note sporting the message 'sorry xxx' in a female's handwriting, floating in a heart shaped bubble laughing to himself and feeling relieved that she was home, he quickly made his way to his bedroom to make sure that she would be there.

However, upon entering the room, it soon became apparent that she was not there and he was only confused for a minute or two until he heard a quiet sob coming from the en suite bathroom.

He moved to the doorway, hands in pockets, and looked down at a curled up shaking Rose on the bathroom floor, wearing only a baby pink balconette bra and matching French shorts with wet hair clinging to her shoulders, the Doctor knew immediately what had happened. It was quite plain to see that she had taken a shower, tried to re-dress herself but had only got so far before the emotions of the day had finally caught up with her.

Wordlessly, the Doctor cradled Rose and lifted her of the floor, sitting her delicately on the edge of the bed. He knelt down in front of her and stroked her soft toned stomach with one finger until she finally managed to speak.

"You were right." She whispered.

"What?"

"You were right." She repeated a little clearer before collapsing into his arms. "I'm sorry Doctor. I'm really really sorry."

He held her tight, running his fingers up and down her back soothingly until he finally realised that she had begun to shiver from the cold.

Pulling away, he took off his shirt and guided her arms through it. "This is becoming quite a habit miss's, stealing my shirt and all that." He said with a cheeky and slightly suggestive smile, trying to release some of the tension in her body as he buttoned up the shirt. He smiled again, this time in satisfaction as Rose laughed in spite of herself.

He placed a light kiss on her lips before guiding her into bed and lying down beside her. "So," he said after a silence that neither of them really wanted to break. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I met mum in town." Rose replied without even trying to protest.

"Oh sweetheart… how did it go?" he asked, kissing her forehead as se curled into him.

"Well you were right. We have to tell her. I was just being selfish when I said I wouldn't do it."

"That's understandable."

"She kept going on about how lonely she was, and how she wished she had her daughter around.

And as much as I wanted to keep her to myself, I kept thinking that it didn't have to be that way.

She doesn't have to be lonely, I'm never going to be around for her, because I couldn't leave you, but there is someone who could be around for mum, I want to find her, I want to find Jackie Tyler's daughter." She finished, saying the last sentence more to herself than the Doctor.

"Are you sure about this? You really want to tell her?" he asked gently.

"Yes. I don't want to lose her, but I don't want her to be lonely either, I felt what it's like to be alone in my dream and I never want her to go through that. The only thing is I want to know what we are dealing with first. We find out what happened at the hospital, and who this girl is, then we tell mum. Okay?"

"Deal." the Doctor replied, pulling her closer to him. "We'll do it all your way."

Rose felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders when he agreed to do things in a way that she could handle.

It would be just like another one of their adventures, just another mystery to solve… that way she wouldn't have to think about the life changing bit at the end. The bit where everything she had ever known would turn upside down.

Deciding it was best not to think about this, she kissed the Doctor goodnight, which took decidedly longer than expected, before snuggling into his chest, letting his syncopated heartbeats lull her to sleep.

The Doctor watched Rose fondly as she fell asleep. He sighed deeply as he carefully removed his trousers, trying hard not to move Rose from her comfortable position, and asked the Tardis to turn out the lights.

He settled down besides her, knowing that it had started. Rose Tyler had just entered self-destruct mode and she didn't even know it yet…

"_What happens next?"… That's the fun, you just don't know! Right, I'm going to make a shameless plea for reviews, please please please review! Thanks to the guys mentioned above who have already reviewed and I hope everyone enjoyed it! I'll get to work on chapter five soon. _


	5. Rose's are Red Emily's are Green

_**Summary**: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

**_Disclaimer: _**_OOK: still don't own the crunchies (if I did my shop would still stock them, I was extremely outraged when I went in to get one and they were all out), don't own Sheryl Crow or any other item that should be copywritten that may appear in this chapter._

_Once again thanks to__LJQ__spinningisfun__and __I-Confuse-Everyone__ for reviewing. And special thanks to Sarah (aka __I-Confuse-Everyone__) who came up with the title for this chapter, I dedicate it all to you!  
_

Ok before you read this new chapter I would like you all to look at this picture:

http/img46. Imageshack. us/img46/6372/doctordavidtv2. jpg

Otherwise the ongoing joke in this chapter won't make sense just remember I had to put a space after every dot so you need to take those out or the link won't work. Thank you in advance. Here's the new chapter…

**Rose's are Red… Emily's are Green**

Rose had slept extremely well that night, all things considered, and the following morning found her in the kitchen planning a not-so extravagant breakfast in bed. She hummed along to the Tardis' radio, which was currently playing Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars', as she carefully buttered slices of toast before covering them in liberal amounts of marmalade. After pouring two tall glasses of orange juice, she picked up the tray and carefully carried it to her new bedroom.

The doctor sat in bed, propped up by pillows and fully enjoying the look of concentration on Rose's faces as she entered the room trying hard not to drop anything as she tiptoed across the cold grated floor.

"Rose Tyler have you been cooking?" he asked in mock surprise before looking at the Tardis' ceiling, clearly attempting to talk to god. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Oh very good. Yes very witty. Just one thing Doctor, do tell me at which point was I meant to start laughing?" She retorted, her harsh tones being slightly betrayed by the small smile playing across her face. She passed him the tray and snuggled into bed beside him, taking her glass of orange juice.

"Oh marmalade! My favourite!" He enthused.

"I'd noticed…" Rose commented, bringing her finger up to his face and wiping a stray bit from the corner of his mouth. She held it out for him, and he immediately licked away the marmalade without a moment's hesitation resulting in a not so subtle shiver from Rose.

He raised a suggestive eyebrow at her and smiled with satisfaction as she giggled, pushing the tray to one side and laying down. Her head rested on his upper legs as she looked up at him, enjoying the feeling of being his.

"You alright down there?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah… really, I'm good."

"Good." He repeated, stroking the now feint bruise on her forehead. "You really worried me yesterday you know. I don't want to fight you Rose. I just want to help."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"You don't need to keep apologising sweetheart. I know it's hard. Right! Shower!" he announced quite suddenly ushering her into the bathroom before going in search of the ensuite in her old bedroom.

Half an hour later Rose walked into her original room, wearing the Doctor's dressing gown. As she searched for clothes, she couldn't help but laugh as she heard a loud chorus of Sheryl Crow's 'If it makes you happy' ringing through the shower room door. Finally tracking down her jeans, she left him to his singing, making a mental note to use it against him at some point in the near future…

"This is ridiculous!" The Doctor cried in frustration some time later. He was fully aware that Rose was waiting for him but for some reason he couldn't find a single shirt.

"Not one!" he exclaimed to the Tardis. "Not one single blasted shirt! This is more that ridiculous, its ludicrous! That's what it is, totally and utterly ludicrous!" he rambled on for quite some time, trying to convince the Tardis that he would be 'deeply and emotionally scarred' by the whole experience, before finally accepting that he would just have to change his look for the day…

"You have got to be joking!" Rose exclaimed as the Doctor sauntered into the control room wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt sporting the slogan 'trust me I'm a doctor'.

"Doctor you can't go out like that!" she pleaded as he pretended to look hurt.

"Well if someone hadn't taken to wearing my shirts to bed, I wouldn't _have_ to go out like this! Besides, I quite like it."

"Oh fine! … Well I suppose… _if it makes you happy…_"

Ha! That had done it. The Doctor's head pricked up, eyes wide like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.

"Excuse me?" He asked, swallowing the lump of embarrassment that had set up camp in his throat.

"Oh you know. _If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad…_" And with that she strutted up to him and whispered in his ear "you blushing babe" before wandering out of the Tardis. Making sure to look back at him in a way that clearly said 'ha that will get you back for your slate on my breakfast.'

It took a full five minutes before the Doctor joined Rose out on the streets of London, a look of fake ignorance plastered across his face.

"You all right there?" she asked, amusing herself at his expense as he defiantly took her hand and set off towards the children's hospital.

"Fine thank you." He ignored the fresh giggles that his comment had caused and carried on talking. "You called me babe."

"You call me sweetheart." She answered, finally getting herself in check.

"This is all getting a little bit domestic don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right, I'll understand if you need to go and destroy something or save an entire galaxy. We could go to the children's hospital another day…" she looked up hopefully as he half laughed, half-sighed while dropping her hand and placing his arm around her shoulder.

"Nice try, but I assure you there is no-where I would rather be than right here. Even if it is all domestic nick-names and breakfast in bed." He assured her as he placed a delicate kiss on her head before producing a pair of sunglasses from his jeans pocket.

Laughing slightly at the Doctors stylish new look, Rose pulled out her own pair of oversized white shaded, as purchased the previous day.

"Oh very Paris Hilton." He enthused, shocking Rose with his celebrity knowledge.

"Doctor," came her reply. "All I've hear all day is Sheryl Crow and Paris Hilton… can you please stop talking while your still a man?"

Several tickle fights and a refreshment stop later the pair finally made it to the children's hospital, fighting hard to straighten their faces.

"Still no shop! What is happening to society these days?" The Doctor muttered wandering into reception. His arm returned to Roses shoulder as he lead her down random corridors in the hope of finding a maternity sign.

"_Typical man." _Rose thought. _"Refuses to ask for directions."_

Finally working out that they needed to be on the third floor, the Doctor dragged a now thoroughly board Rose into a vacant lift. Once inside she began to amuse herself by flirtatiously pressing herself against him, reaching up to kiss him lightly on the lips, an action he reciprocated with much more enthusiasm than she had expected. So all in all it wasn't surprising that neither of the entwined couple noticed another body enter the elevator on the second floor.

"Ehem." The man faked a cough. "Don't mind me but this is a public lift you know."

"Yes… erm quite right too. Very sorry but you know how it is, new girlfriend and all that. I bet you've had a few, good-looking guy like you…" The Doctor rambled while Rose giggled uncontrollably into his chest.

"I'm gay."

"Gay, of course well I don't suppose you would know then. Not that I'm saying you don't know what its like to be seeing someone, just not… a girl. Unless you have dated girls in the past, no gay silly me. Well not silly me because I only just met you, how could I know. I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name?" The Doctor finished now completely flustered.

"I didn't tell you, but its Greg Brown. Doctor Greg Brown" the man said as all three of them stepped out onto the third floor.

"Oh a Doctor! Fantastic, I'm a Doctor as well!"

Greg Brown looked down at the Doctor's shirt with an incredulous expression.

"You have got to be joking?" Greg exclaimed.

"That's what I said." Rose added, finally controlling herself.

"I see, and you are?"

"Oh!" Interrupted the Doctor. "This is Rose. My… er… my secretary."

"I'll bet she is. Look I'm going to need some sort of proof that you're a doctor. What with the T-shirt and the incident with your -secretary- well I'm just not buying it!" Greg was clearly annoyed now.

The Doctor cast around desperately for some way to back up his cover story. "What you want me to diagnose somebody? Okay, that woman over there, she is having a baby. And that man appears to be having a panic attack. Oh wait a minute, ha ha they're together look! Oh he doesn't stand a chance does he?" He trailed off, snaking an arm around Rose's waist as she began giggling into his side once more.

Well it was safe to say that by this point Doctor Greg Brown was absolutely beside himself. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of your NHS card?" he prompted in a somewhat patronising voice.

Comprehension dawned on Rose as she slipped the psychic paper from her bag and flashed it at Greg while the Doctor started unwrapping a Crunchie that he had apparently been hiding in his pocket. Doctor brown looked at the chocolate bar with utter fury.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Cried the Doctor misreading the situation completely. "How rude of me! Can I offer you a Crunchie?" he asked producing yet another from his pocket.

"Oh just do whatever it is you've come to do and get lost! I've got enough to worry about without you two nutcases cluttering up my ward!" Doctor Brown exclaimed stalking away.

As soon as he was gone, both the Doctor and Rose fell into unrestrained hysterics, Rose being held up entirely by the Doctor who had a firm grip on her shaking waist.

Holding each other close, the made their way to a nearby office where the Doctor intended to start his search on Rose's history. Still giggling slightly, they both took their seat at a computer, Rose on the Doctor's knee, and readied themselves for what could be a long afternoon.

Having no knowledge of the hospital computer system, it took a good two hours just to break through the security codes and gain access to the patient history files. As the Doctor slowly progressed with this, he noticed Rose becoming ever more subdued with every password he cracked. A far cry for the state she had been in upon entering the room.

"Be strong sweetheart." He whispered soothingly as she buried her head in his neck, wrapping her arms around him.

"How much longer?" she asked in a small voice from somewhere below his head. "It's this waiting that's killing me."

"I'm almost there, but first I need to know that this is what you really want." He said looking down at her, pulling her closer to him by the waist.

She kissed his neck gently before answering. "I need to know Doctor. Just do it."

This was confirmation enough and the Doctor immediately began typing things into search bars. File upon file of patients flashed up on the screen and, far too quickly for Roses liking, he managed to narrow it down to a list of children born on the same day as her.

He scrolled down until he finally came to a stop on a girl who's parentage field read 'unconfirmed'.

"Emily Green" Read Rose, trying to keep a steady voice but failing miserably. "That's our girl."

The Doctor opened up the patient history and read aloud. "Patient appears to have been abandoned. Found in same bed as baby Tyler, born on same night. Taken into foster care by David and Elaine Green at 271 Keats Avenue, London."

"Well that's that then." Rose said, trying to sound positive while her body shook violently as she stood up, revealing her true feelings.

Then, quite suddenly and with no warning, Rose's legs gave up beneath her and she collapsed to the floor. The Doctor leapt from his seat and managed to catch her just before her head hit the floor, crushing her to his body as she broke down for what felt like the millionth time that week.

"I so wanted it not to be true! Why can't I just be normal?" she cried into his chest.

"Rose we've talked about this…"

"I know" she continued. "But what if it's all wrong. Maybe I'm not Gallifreyan. Maybe the hospital didn't get it wrong."

The Doctor sighed deeply before pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." He said, tweaking a few dials and placing it on her chest. "There, can you hear that? That's your heartbeat. Now give me your hands." He placed the screwdriver in her grip and guided it to his own chest. "See? They sound the same. We're the same Rose, you and me. Is that so bad?"

Rose heard the hurt in his voice and immediately felt horrible. "No! Of course not. It's just… different is all."

"I understand that, but we deal with different every day. Sometimes you just have to know you're doing the right thing, even if your head is screaming stop."

Inspirational speeches aside, the Doctor pulled Rose up off the floor and, pulling her glasses down over her now tearstained eyes, she followed him out of the office as he set of to her mothers house. All the while feeling as though she may as well be walking to her death.

It was a long journey across town during rush hour, and the Doctor managed to upset two mothers by teaching their children rude gestures, and con a man out of chewing gum before they finally made it to the Powell Estate.

He had to physically guide her up the stairs, and she made such a commotion about going inside that in the end the Doctor had to ring the bell himself, while holding her hand so she couldn't run away.

"Rose!" screamed Jackie as she opened the door, immediately detecting a tense atmosphere. "Why have you been crying? I knew he'd done something to you the other day!" she suddenly exclaimed while trying to reach the Doctor, who cowered behind Rose.

"Mum don' start, he hasn't done anything okay?" Rose sighed exasperatedly while tightening her grip on the Doctors hand.

"No it's not okay! Don't think you can fool your mother! Now get inside before the neighbours hear us!" Jackie ushered them both into the flat, clipping the Doctor around the back of the head as he passed.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he pouted.

"Does she need a reason?" Asked an amused Mickey who had just appeared from the kitchen.

"Keep out of it Mickey!" Warned Jackie before turning back to the Doctor. "And that was for whatever you've don't to my little girl! Now I don't care about your jumped up Timelord ego and Gallifreyan superiority, nothing and I mean nothing gives you the right to upset my daughter!"

"I'm not your daughter."

_Ooooooh cliffhanger! DON'T YA JUST LOVE CLIFFHANGERS! I'm very sorry, no I couldn't help myself and yes a I am ashamed but don't shoot me or send hate male because I promise I will update soon. Right, I'm off but as always reviews are always appreciated and will always receive a reply. U no the drill by now so just hit the blue button… go on I dare u…_


	6. HOme Truths

_**Summary**: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer: **sorry to disappoint but I still don't own Doctor Who. Unfortunately there are no Crunchies in this one but Wkd does make an appearance (which unfortunately I don't own a single bottle of) basically anything that look like its worth money, doesn't belong to me_

_Right, not this week's thank you's go to: __lupinsstar__3011112ed__LJQ__freckles7777777__ and __Sabriel Silverwing__ who all left wonderfull reviews and a special shout out to __I-Confuse-Everyone__ who not only reviewed but came up with the chapter title for the second time running, LUV YA BABE!_

Home Truths 

The scene was frozen. Completely still. If there were ever a situation where time simply stopped this would be it. Even the new pet goldfish seemed to be holding its breath. Slowly, the room re-awakened and each and every head turned to face Rose, their expressions an assortment of anger, shock and worry.

"I'm not your daughter." Rose repeated a little more firmly, secretly terrified by her captive audience but determined not to show it. "So you can just stop shouting at the Doctor and listen to me for a change."

She walked over to the Doctor and leaned into his side for support. He wrapped a protective arm around her and kissed the top of her head, as if giving her the courage to continue.

"It's quite complicated really, but basically I am a long lost Gallifreyan princess. My father brought me to earth to escape the Time War but I was involved in a hospital mix up and you ended up bringing me home instead of your real daughter. I'm… I'm sorry, but that's the truth." Rose finished, now fighting back tears as she took a tentative step towards her would be mother.

There was a tense pause where each person seemed to consider everyone else in the room. It was like the calm before the storm and the Doctor knew it was inevitable that something would erupt. And sure enough, not a moment later his eruption came in the form of Mickey.

"What the hell have you done to her you whack job?" He shouted, bringing the Doctor around to face him by the shoulder and knocking Rose slightly off balance as he did so. "What was it? Did you get bored of being the last Time Lord so you thought you'd play with Rose's mind, turn her into one too? Is it not enough that you've split this family up, now you want to tear it apart? You're evil! Why do you do it? Why do you constantly ruin lives?" Mickey ranted on and on, furiously releasing the resentment he had bottled up for so long.

The Doctors face contorted with anger as he listened to Mickey's harsh words. He began to feel a strange twinge in his 'fighting hand'. Suddenly overcome with testosterone, he swung his arm back and it collided with Mickey's nose, who fell to the floor, clearly shocked by the impact.

"Sorry Mickey boy, but nobody hit your buzzer!" The Doctor yelled before turning his attention back to the other two, where he was sure something was about to explode.

"Jackie," he said in a purposefully level voice. "Jackie say something."

She turned her gaze to him before bringing her arm back. The Doctor winced, readying himself for the impact. He heard the unmistakable sound of a Jackie Tyler slap but the pain didn't come. Nothing, he just couldn't understand it.

"How dare you, you selfish cow?" He heard Jackie scream. Opening his eyes, he instantly understood the scene. Rose lay quivering on the floor, a red mark across her face and tears streaming down her face.

The Doctor immediately fell to Rose's side, cradling her as she sobbed into his chest. Despite things, Jackie's wrath was relentless.

"I can't believe it! I don't even know who you are anymore, Rose! You just take off with some guy in a blue box (who you're obviously now dating by the way, thanks for telling me) and then you come home claiming you're an alien! Who do you think you are? Because I certainly don't know anymore!"

Rose pulled away from the Doctor, who had been attempting to cover her ears, and looked up into Jackie's murderous glare.

"Mum… Jackie… I mean… I can't handle this!" Rose exclaimed, jumping up and heading for the door. "I just need to get out."

"Aren't you going after her?" Jackie rounded on the Doctor. "After all, it's you she seems to need these days, no-one else!"

"No." he replied. "I think Rose needs some time alone. Besides, I think you and I need to have a little chat…"

Rose ran from the house and down the stairs. Finally out of sight of the Tyler flat, she allowed herself to stop and recall everything that had just happened. Her head swam as she took it all in. Suddenly, she found herself unable to keep down her breakfast and began being violently sick. With a mixture of tears and cold sweat stinging her eyes, she collapsed to the floor, unable to support her own weight any longer.

"Rose? Rosie! Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Rose looked up and felt fuzzy relief wash over her as a familiar face swam into view.

"Shereen?" she questioned as her friend picked her up off the floor and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Rosie you're shaking! What the hell happened? No never mind that, come on, I'm taking you home to my place."

"Shereen… I can't … I have to…"

"Rosie you don't have to do anything!" Shereen said forcefully, leading Rose across the courtyard. "I'm your best mate and I say you need looking after."

"Okay," Rose sighed. "Thanks."

Back in the flat, Mickey peered out of the window as he watched Shereen lead his ex-girlfriend across to her house. He smirked to himself, knowing what the Doctor was in for as a result of their reunion.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had lead Jackie over to the sofa and was currently explaining 'The Prophecy of a Far Off Rose'.

"So you see Jackie, there's no way Rose isn't the Princess of Gallifrey. We saw the rose in the sky and she has two hearts. I'm so sorry Jackie but Rose isn't your daughter." The Doctor finished, his eyes full of sympathy and compassion.

"Do you love her?" Jackie asked in a small voice.

Mickey's head snapped around. The Doctor was confused. This question seemed totally disconnected from anything he had just told her. But he answered her all the same.

"Of course I love her. I love Rose more than the universe itself."

"And you'll always be there for her?"

"Always."

"Good." Jackie said getting to her feet and walking over to the door. "Now could you kindly leave my home?"

The Doctor tried to protest, insisting that they needed to stay together for Rose's sake. However, after five minutes bickering the Doctor finally relented and left with a single parting comment

"Fine I'll go, but you should know that Rose and I did some research before we came here. Your real daughter, she's called Emily Green and lives at 271 Keats Avenue, that's in London."

And with that he was gone. Off down the street to find the one person that mattered in this whole mess. He needed to find his Rose…

Oblivious to what was going on outside the safe cocoon of Shereen's flat, Rose sat on the sofa, curled up with a plate of pasta on her knee. She ate gratefully, suddenly realising how little she had eaten that day.

She had given Shereen a censored version of events, which basically consisted of "Mum isn't my real mum, the hospital screwed up and my boyfriend is now at home picking up the pieces." Rose's friend had been a fantastic audience, gasping in all the right places and handing out hugs where needed.

"So what's he like, this new boyfriend of yours?" Shereen asked, trying to find something Rose would enjoy talking about.

"He's… amazing!" Rose sighed. "The most fantastic guy in the universe. I love him so much. He doesn't deserve to be caught up in all this stuff with me and Mum and I've just left him to sort out my mess! How selfish am I?" She cried becoming panicked again.

Shereen sighed aloud and pulled Rose into a hug that only a best friend could give

"Rosie honey, you need to stop feeling guilty about everything! If anything, you need to be more selfish!" Shereen looked at Rose, a wicked grin playing across her face as she continued. "You know what you need? A good night out! You've lost a lot of weight so you'll fit into my clothes easily! Come on I'm taking you partying!"

Rose was extremely unsure about this; she had partied with Shereen before and knew exactly what it usually entailed. But even as she talked herself out of it, that familiar feeling washed over her, perhaps she could be selfish, just this once…

Several hours later, the Doctor sat in the TARDIS looking very worried. He had been all over London looking for Rose, even picking up some more shirts on the way, and still he hadn't found her.

Deciding it was time to take action, he changed into his usual attire and headed back up to Jackie's flat.

"What do you want?" she asked, seeing who it was at the door.

"Look Jackie, I know you don't want me here but Rose isn't back yet and I'm really worried about her," the Doctor said, stepping into the flat and regarding Mickey (who was sat with a pack of peas on his nose) with no more that a grunt. "I thought you might know where she usually goes when she is upset."

Jackie considered him for a moment. Then, seeing genuine concern in his eyes, decided to help.

"She used to go up to the roof a lot." She suggested, "On top of the flats."

The Doctor made his way to the door before a voice pulled him back.

"You're wasting your time." Mickey spat. "She went to Shereen's earlier, I saw her through the window."

The Doctor was about to ask where this Shereen character lived before Mickey again stopped him.

"And then they left together. Looked like they were going partying the way they were dressed" Mickey finished, enjoying the colour draining from the Doctors face as his jaw tightened.

Jackie began to think, trying to recall the clubs Rose and Shereen used to go to together. She was beginning to worry, knowing fully well what usually happened when those two went out together. There was one place in particular where they went if they were hell bent on having a good time; she just couldn't remember the name.

"Mickey what's the name of that club they used to go to? You know the one, that one where she met you." Jackie questioned, clicking her fingers as though looking for inspiration.

Indeed, Mickey knew exactly where the girls would be, but that didn't mean he was willing to tell, he stayed silent, trying to arrange his expression to mimic one that he hoped resembled innocence. This time it was the Doctor's turn to speak, his voice menacingly level.

"Mickey, I'm being very calm here, just you remember that. Now, earlier on, when you were shouting your mouth off, I know you were talking about yourself. So I'm sorry if me taking Rose travelling has 'ruined your life', but right now I have a twenty year old girl out there somewhere, she's upset and vulnerable and needs bringing home. If you care about Rose at all, you'll tell me where she is."

Mickey stared at the Doctor, who returned his glare with twice as much venom.

"Club Khahuna," Mickey finally muttered in a somewhat bitter voice.

Without waiting for further instructions, the Doctor bolted out of the flat towards Club Khahuna. He had been there once before and knew it had a terrible reputation…

"Rosie, Rosie over here!" called Shereen in a slightly slurred voice as her friend ambled over in her mini-skirt and dangerously low cut top.

"Rosie, look who it is!" Shereen, wearing an equally promiscuous outfit, shouted, pointing at a tracksuit clad man.

"Jimmy!" Rose shouted, tripping over her own feet as she drained the last of her WKD and fell into her ex-boyfriends open arms.

"Hey Rose! Long time no see!" Jimmy Stone shouted above the music. "How about a dance for old times sake?"

Rose looked up at him. She knew there was a reason she disliked this man, but right now she couldn't work it out. Choosing to ignore this, Rose smiled and took the baseball cap from Jimmy's head, placed it over her own straightened hair and pushed him back onto a nearby chair.

As 'Maneater' began to play, Rose danced around Jimmy's chair, shaking her hips a little more that was necessary and loving the attention she was getting.

"Rose Tyler, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Rose looked around in shock as the Doctor stormed across the crowded dance floor. She immediately launched herself at him, using his body for support.

"Hey baby!" she greeted him clumsily. "This is Shereen… no wait Shereen's the girl, that one over there is Shereen and this one is Jimmy."

"Jimmy, Jimmy Stone?" the Doctor exclaimed, propping Rose up on the bar and walking towards the man he had just been introduced to. "As in the same Jimmy Stone that left Rose in a mountain of debt after forcing her to leave school?"

"Oh _that's_ why I don't like him! I knew there was a reason but I couldn't…"

But Rose's musings were cut short as suddenly, for the second time that night, the Doctor felt his arm spontaneously swing back and lamp a hard punch on Jimmy's cheek, sending both him and the chair crashing to the floor.

"Come on Rose we're going!" The Doctor instructed, taking her by the arm and throwing the cap back at the now hunched up Jimmy.

"No! I want to stay!"

"Rose you're drunk! Now come home before you make an even bigger fool of yourself!"

"No!" Rose screamed again.

She began to fight against his grip, kicking and clawing at his face to free herself. He tried to regain control without hurting or scaring her, but finally he lost his cool.

"Rose! I'm taking you home now, even if I have to drag you out kicking and screaming! Do you hear me?" he bellowed, holding her arms and rendering her immobile.

Rose stared at him, utterly shocked and a little frightened. Then, without warning, she burst into tears, collapsing to his chest. The Doctor hastily wrapped his long coat around her practically naked body and picked her up off the floor. Not noticing the staring crowd, he took her home.

By the time he reached the TARDIS, Rose was fast asleep, so he carried her to bed, not in their shared room, but her old one. If she was going to be sick, it wouldn't be in his domain. Setting her down on the bed, he pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, deciding it probably wasn't a good idea to leave her, just in case something bad happened…

Morning hit Rose like a ton of bricks. The first thing she noticed was the blinding headache that seemed only to intensify when she opened her eyes. The second thing she realised was that she was totally alone in an unfamiliar room, no Doctor to kiss her good morning.

As soon as she thought of the Doctor, memories of the previous night began slapping her I the face. She had been so horrible to him.

Feeling an apology was in order she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower room, thinking she'd better freshen up first…

Half an hour later Rose stepped cautiously into the kitchen where the Doctor was sat, his back to her, with a large cup of strong coffee.

"Hey babe," She said quietly, lingering in the doorway.

"Morning," the Doctor replied rather stiffly.

"You sound really tired! I guess you didn't sleep too well?"

"No Rose! That's where you're wrong!" The Doctor retorted, getting up to meet her gaze with his own blood shot eyes. "I didn't sleep at all! And you know why? Because I was up all night making sure you didn't die of alcohol poisoning!"

"Could you not shout please? My head kills. Look I'm sorry for last night, I was a bitch, but for someone who doesn't want to fight me, you're trying really hard to make me feel bad!" Rose replied, her temper rising.

"I'm trying to protect you Rose! That Jimmy creep was all over you last night and you were too intoxicated to stop him! Apart from anything, do you know how worried I was last night when I couldn't find you, never mind seeing you practically lap dancing your ex-boyfriend? I know your having a hard time of it right now but you have to stop running off and doing stupid things! You're not just destroying yourself anymore; you're destroying me now as well!"

Rose backed away from the Doctor, horrified by what he had just said. She tried to answer but in the end just ran away from him as fast as she could down endless corridors. He knew he would pay for it later but right now he just didn't have the energy to follow her…

Days had passed since their fight, and Rose had taken to sleeping in her old room, so now the only place the Doctor saw her was in the library reading her Father's book.

After the fourth day of this, the Doctor decided he had to say something. He was getting worried, as he didn't think she was sleeping properly all alone at night and he knew for a fact that she hadn't eaten all day.

"Rose… sweetheart," he said, sitting down beside her and lifting her chin to look at him. "You must have read that five times now. Why don't you put it down and I'll make you something to eat. Then you could have a nice hot bath and we'll get some sleep… in our room. What do you think?"

"No I'm fine." She cut him off.

"Rose I'm trying to help…"

"I want to go to Gallifrey," she suddenly exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" the Doctor asked, standing up.

"I knew you'd react like this. I want to go to Gallifrey. You will take me!" she finished in a way that clearly stated 'I am your princess and you will do as I tell you.'

The Doctor considered her for a moment before speaking. "Yes, your Majesty!" he scorned, bowing out of the room. "As you wish…"

Ooooooh, what's gonna happen next? How will they go to Gallifrey when it was destroyed? Will Rose ever stop being a bitch?

_Questions questions questions…_

_Lol, I'll update wen I get back from holiday I promise, and until then, you know the drill "reviews are appreciated, you know where the button is…"_


	7. Lies and Wishful Thinking

_**Summary**: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer:** Okay, I would like to claim that the terrible amount of time I took off from writing this chapter was due to me buying Doctor Who but that would be a lie. I still don't own them, at all, not even one measly corner of the Tardis. No Crunchie's in this chapter but in case your wondering I don't own them yet either._

_Okay this is the bit where I ramble for ages while you shout at me to get on with the chpater. So im going to keep it short and sweet. I'M SOOOOOOOOO SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SOOOOOOO LONG, I REALLY HAVE NO EXCUSE, I AM ASHAMED._

_One more thing, big shout out to: timano blondesavmorefun Ignoramus lupinsstar one of the riddles clairlune__and LJQ__ for their wonderful reviews on chapter six, thanks to you all! Also huge shout out to __I-Confuse-Everyone__, hope your holiday was great!_

_Now here's the bit you really clicked my link for…_

Lies and Wishful Thinking

'_Gallifrey, the home of my people. My sanctuary, my empire. The beginning of this book marks the birth of my first child. A day where the arrival of Gallifrey's first ever princess is imminent. The very earth on which I sit seems to be quivering with anticipation. The trees seem to be standing ever so slightly taller that usual and the wild flowers are practically singing in the warm sunlight. My people's homes are open; everyone is coming and going, making celebratory plans for my angel's arrival. I have never felt such pride in my planet, my community, my __home.'_

Home, the word reverberated around Roses head as the tried to imagine what her planet would look like. The Doctor had told her Gallifrey didn't exist, and for a while she had believed him, but after reading her fathers description she could not help but have faith in it.

She was suddenly yanked from her thoughts as the Tardis shuddered to a stop, throwing Rose to the floor. Apparently the Doctor no longer troubled himself with smooth landings. Or maybe he was just too annoyed.

'_Speak of the devil…'_ Rose thought to herself as the Doctor appeared in the doorway smirking down at her.

"Sorry to intrude in the royal chamber." He spat. "I thought you might like to know, we've arrived."

"Yes I felt it thanks! Aren't you going to help me up?"

"Nope!" the Doctor answered, turning his back on her and strutting off to the control room.

He hated treating Rose so badly, but she needed to learn that her actions affected everyone and not just herself. And if this was the only way to do it then so be it.

He heard her following behind him, quickening her pace in order to fall into step with him. He simply sped up. Making his way to the front door, he opened it and stood aside for Rose to exit.

"Now, I'm sorry there's no red carpet or anything but I didn't think it was going to be necessary somehow." The Doctor said, turning round to see the horrified look on Roses face.

"Something wrong… _princess_?" He spoke the last word with such obvious disdain that Rose had to turn away.

"This is all wrong…" She whispered, kicking up grey dust as she ran around, frantically trying to find the planet she had imagined, trying to justify her reasons for coming here. "Where is it? Doctor, you've brought me to the wrong place! This just some big rock, this isn't Gallifrey."

"Yes it is. This rock is all that's left. Well technically it's all there ever was. I told you, Gallifrey doesn't exist, never has never will. I destroyed it Rose, me, I had to watch as my home ceased to exist."

"No!" Rose cried, becoming irrational again. "What about the quivering earth and stand tall trees and singing flowers?"

"Rose I told you…" the Doctor began before doubling back. "Wait- what?"

"That's what the book said…"

"Do you think maybe the book was being metaphorical?" He asked, feeling his resolution to make her suffer slipping.

"Mental note," he continued. "Never use metaphors on Rose, she takes thinks literally."

Roses head fell to the floor and an audible sniff brought the Doctor out of his scathing remarks.

He looked her up and down. She was wearing a pair of well fitting jeans and a v-neck vest top that left just enough to the imagination. Her hair hung loose, framing her pretty but tired face. Even when she was exhausted she was beautiful. At this point he knew resistance was futile.

Rose looked up, eyes wide with shock as she watched the Doctor open and arm to her, as if inviting her in.

Slowly, Rose edged forward closing the gap between them but giving the Doctor time to pull away if he wanted to. When she was sure he want going anywhere, she threw herself into his arms, finally breaking down the barriers that she had fought so hard to keep strong over the past few days. Days that had felt like forever without him. The tears came fast and hard but the Doctor stayed there for her, just like always. He wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and the other found its way to the back of her head, stroking her hair with his thumb.

Finally, unable to shed anymore tears, Rose looked up into the Doctors deep brown eyes, only now realising how much she'd missed them.

"I'm sorry." She whispered with eyes full of truthful regret. "I've been such a bitch, you deserve better than me."

The Doctor replied simply by pulling her back towards him, drawing circles on her back whilst whispering in her hear. "Tough luck angel, you're stuck with me."

He laughed slightly as she sighed with obvious relief and buried her face in his neck once more. Taking in the comforting scent that had so almost become unfamiliar, she attempted an explanation.

"It's just, every time I read that bit of the book, the feeling got stronger, like it must be a real place. I just couldn't believe it was really gone."

"That's the thing about books Rose." He reasoned softly. "No matter how honest and truthful they are at first, sooner or later they become outdated. Then the truth becomes lies… lies and wishful thinking."

Rose timidly began to look around, every second becoming more and more aware of the mistake she had made.

"So, it's really gone?" she breathed, horror written all over her face. "All of it?"

"Yes Rose, the Doctor confirmed, not unkindly. "It's all gone. Trust me, I was there. I watched it fall."

His expression was now distant, so distant in fact that me almost didn't catch his princess when she fled from his grasp. Almost.

"Where do you think you're going?" he questioned, struggling to hold her still as she fought against his grip.

"How can you even look at me?" she cried through hysterical sobs. "I forced you to come to a place that you watched die! All because I thought I had some divine right to do whatever the hell I wanted to. I don't deserve you."

Wit that, she ripped her arm from his grasp, running wildly into the Tardis and heading straight for her old bedroom like the route was set in stone in her mind.

The urge to break something was overwhelming. Rose felt herself drowning in the need to punish herself, it was swallowing her up, and with no way to breath, no way to escape, she suddenly ran full force into her mirror. The impact her hands made was enough to shatter the glass into a million pieces.

Unfeeling, she went on, the deep cuts on her palms going unnoticed.

The Doctor stood in the doorway, concern etched all over his face as he watched his Rose mindlessly tear the room and herself to pieces. He edged closer as she swiped an arm across the dressing table, all her old cosmetics being strewn on the floor.

"Rose you have to stop this," he commanded in an authoritative voice. "Look at what you've done to your hands! And you've got scratches all over your face." He walked over to her, stepping over a broken vase that had fallen victim to the wrath of Rose, and placed a firm hand on each of her shoulders.

As if noticing him for the first time, she turned her wild eyes to meet him, seeming to consider him for a moment before exploding once more.

"Why didn't you stop me?" she screamed, beating her fists against his chest, but without enough conviction to cause him any pain. " Why didn't you just say no? You shouldn't have let me do something so horrible! Why didn't you just tell me to stop being selfish?"

She stopped. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to release the ever-increasing feeling of constriction in her chest.

"I can't breath!" she gasped in a panicked voice as she bowed her head to his chest, clinging to his neck for support. "Doctor, help me! I can't breath!"

But before the Doctor could do anything to defuse the situation, he felt Roses grip slip as she fell into his arms, unconscious.

* * *

Rose awoke to a dimly lit room. She immediately recognised it as the Doctor's even though she had not been in there for so long. The sheets felt warm and soothing and she soon noticed that he had changed her into one of his shirts. Her initial thought was to go back to sleep. That was of course until she felt the searing pain in her hands, which where heavily bandaged, leaving only her fingers free.

Ashamed, Rose sank back into the mass of pillows pulling the king-sized covers up to her face as she felt the all too familiar sting of tears rolling down her scratched face. When had she become so weak? When had she said goodbye to her perfect life?

This was the first time she had ever really been alone in the Doctors room. It was so different from anywhere else in the Tardis; with its oak floors and dark walls, it felt mysterious and comforting.

Rose's eyes were drawn to a large object in the corner, hidden under an old dustsheet. She had often wondered what was under there, but never more so than now. There seemed to be a strange power, drawing her in, pushing all her troubles to the back of her mind. Slowly she swung her legs around and slid a pair of slippers over her feet.

Quietly moving across the room, she arrived at the mysterious object, placing a hand gingerly on the dustsheet. Tightening her grip as much as her bruised knuckles would allow, she began to pull lightly, at first but with growing persistence as her curiosity intensified.

Finally, the dustsheet fell gracefully to the floor; a small cloud rising around what was now visible as an ancient grand piano engraved with markings Rose didn't recognise.

She sat down on the accompanying stool and gingerly turned the delicate key that sat in the locked lid protecting the keys. She had expected its years of abandonment to leave the key stiff, but to her surprise it turned with great ease and she was soon running her fingers along the bottom of the lid. Finally managing to lift it, she was greeted by the smell of ageing wood, forgotten by time.

She pressed down on the keys, lightly at first, before surrendering herself to the emotion now rising inside her. It had been fourteen years since she had played but the notes came as if it had been yesterday. Her fingers glided effortlessly across the keys, playing a song she used to play as a child whenever she was sad.

"Beautiful piano isn't it." The Doctors voice rang out from the door, shocking Rose from her trance.

She had no idea how long she'd been playing, or how long he'd been watching. But she didn't mind. As she fought to clear her mind, he moved closer, wrapping his strong arms around her petite frame.

"Yeah." She whispered, leaning back into his chest. "It's beautiful."

He sat down on the stool next to her, running a finger over the keys.

"It's Gallifreyan you know? And I didn't know you played."

"My grandma taught me when I was little. I used to play it whenever I was upset." Rose replied. "Is it really a Gallifreyan piano?"

"Oh yeah. I bought when I was my first self, never did learn to play it though. I think I like it better when you play anyway. That song you were playing, do you know what it was?"

She shook her head, almost apologetically. "No, mum used to tell people I made it up myself, but I knew that wasn't true. I felt like it had been with me my whole life, I just didn't know where it came from." She told him, looking lovingly at the grand piano.

"I bet she did, you must have looked like a right little Mozart. It's a Gallifreyan lullaby." The Doctor said, Turning Rose to face him and laughing slightly as she tore her eyes unwillingly away from the beautiful carvings. "We used to sing it to our children, whenever they felt sad, or lonely or scared. I never thought I'd hear it again." He sighed.

Rose let her head drop to his shoulder as he pulled her closer to him.

"I'm sorry Doctor," she said into his chest. "I didn't trust you, and that made everything worse. I promise I won't hurt you anymore."

"Rose, the only thing I want you to promise is that you won't hurt yourself anymore."

"I promise." She replied, truth radiating from her eyes.

He looked down for a moment, before slowly capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. Rose smiled slightly against him, as he became more insistent, curving her body to match his shape. Never breaking the kiss, the Doctor snaked his arms around her waste and lifted her off the stool. Rose dropped her lips to his neck while her fingers worked tirelessly on his shirt, finally puling open the final button before he lowered her onto the bed…

* * *

Some time later, the Doctor found himself lying in bed and, for the first time that week, he was not alone. Rose rested her head against his chest, concentrating on his heartbeats as he ran his fingers through her hair, his other arm around her waist. The only sound that punctuated the comfortable silence was Rose's occasional yawn or satisfied sigh.

Eventually, the Doctor felt her breath against his chest become deeper. Looking down at the sleeping angel in his arms, he pulled the sheets up higher, making sure she would be warm enough before turning out the soft lighting with a polite request to the Tardis. He then adjusted the pillows and wrapped both arms tightly around Roses sleeping form.

"I love you Rose." He whispered, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too." She breathed in her sleep.

The Doctor smiled. It was his first true smile in days and he could not help but feel that maybe, just maybe, he had made a breakthrough.

_And that's the end of another chapter, hope you enjoyed it. It wasn't too random this time but it still didn't have too much to do with the plot, in fact only about a third of it was plot related, lol. Anyway, I shall warn you now there is some pure fluff coming your way in the next chapter so sick bags at the ready…_

_Ps. You know where the review button is (hint: it's that blue/purple/lilac button that says go. Reviews are appreciated if you've forgiven me for not updating in soooooo long…_


	8. Letting Go

_Summary: A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Holy potatoes, it's been ages since I've done one of these I can't remember what I need to disclaim. Lol. Ooook I still don't own Crunchies, unless u count the half eaten one in my fridge. I also still don't own doctor who despite my best efforts. Also anything else in this chapter that obviously isnt mine… assume I don't own it!_

_Right, the important bit: A HUGE SORRY TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPENT THE LAST YEAR WONDERIN IF I WAS EVER GONNA FINISH THIS STORY!!! I promise I will finish it, this is actually the second tol ast chapter so you can expect a finished product very soon. I would also like to announce that the Crunchies are back with vengeance, this times teamed with marmalade for an awesome crime fighting team… well not quite… sooo… yer. Crazy rants aside, ere's the chapter… ENJOY…_

Letting Go 

(Dedicated to Sarah, who has been badgering me for the last year and finally got her wish xxx)

It was precisely five thirty when the silence and tranquillity of the sleeping Tardis was pierced by the cruel, shrill ring of a mobile alarm. The Doctor groaned in his sleep, hiding his head under the pillow and silently begging the phone to stop. However, as if feeding on his desperate pleas, the noise became louder, more urgent. Finally, the Doctor was forced to accept that the noise would not stop and so he did the only thing any self-respecting Timelord would do. he threw back the cover dramatically, preparing himself for the fight ahead.

"Easier said than done." He muttered resentfully, stumbling around in the dark so as not to wake Rose, who had miraculously not yet stirred.

Twice he stumbled over the discarded items of clothing, remnants of the night before, until he finally laid hands on her jeans and silenced the offending item. He set the phone back down on the dressing table before doubling back and turning it off- then removing the battery, just for good measure.

Being careful to avoid the items that he had fallen victim to the first time around, he Doctor crawled back into bed and went to wrap an arm around a sleeping Rose, only to find the space where she should have been empty.

"No wonder she didn't wake up!" he growled with more than a little bitterness. For the second time that morning, he forced himself out of bed, this time wrapping a dressing gown around his barely clothed physique. He grabbed Roses pink and white spotted satin robe and slung it over his shoulder and began to search the Tardis for signs of life.

It only took him ten minutes to track her down, asleep in the kitchen. The Doctor stood in the doorway, laughing slightly at the sight before him.

Rose was slumped over the breakfast bar, fast asleep with her face in her cornflakes. Slowly, he walked up to where she lay, running a finger across her shoulder blades as he passed. Then he saw it. A perfectly innocent box of cornflakes just within his reach. He picked up the box, a mischievous grin passing over his face, and let it hover over her head, tipping it just enough for a light stream off flakes to escape.

Rose's eyes opened and closed as she readjusted herself to the conscious world. She felt a trail of small objects settle in her hair, accompanied by the cackle of a familiar man. Quite suddenly, she sat bolt upright.

"What's going on?" she asked, confused by the situation she'd found herself in.

"You fell asleep in your cornflakes." The Doctor laughed lightly, now throwing cereal bites at her between mouthfuls.

"And you call this a wake up call?" she challenges, shielding her face.

"Well it's better than the one I got! Why the hell is your alarm set to half five?"

"I think it's from when I went on holiday one year. I haven't used that alarm in a while."

"Yes well would you be so kind as to turn it off in future?" the Doctor complained, throwing another fistful of cornflakes her way.

"well I'm sorry but I didn't think you would have been too happy last night if I'd stopped you to turn my phone off!" Rose answered, becoming frustrated with the continual attack of cereal.

The Doctor laughed in spite of himself and moved over to the kettle to set about making coffee.

"Here" he said, throwing her dressing gown which she draped gratefully around her freezing body. "oh and by the way, you have a cornflake on your nose. Did you know? It's right there."

Cheeks flaming, she brought a hand up to her nose and removed the offending item before shaking her head to clear it of any further cereal infestation. Silence fell on the room as the Doctor drank his coffee, observing Rose who was fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. Slowly, she moved across the room, wrapping her arms around the doctor's waist and nestling her head into his bare chest. Sensing her tension he put down his coffee and slipped both arms around her waist inside her robe.

"You ok?" he asked, dropping a comforting kiss in her hair.

"I'm sorry about last night." She said, barely audible against his chest.

"Come on Rose, don't worry about that anymore, its all over now." He soothed, drawing small circles on her back. "Is that why you were up so early?"

"No, I woke up because I was cold and suddenly realised how hungry I was."

The grin that formed on the doctors face was so wide that for a moment Rose became genuinely concerned that he had gone momentarily mad. After sending her off to the bathroom to shower, he set about making a huge breakfast. By the time she arrived in the kitchen twenty minutes later there was such an array of muffins, bacon, sausage, toast and other such delicacies that it took her a moment to work out exactly where the doctor was sat. Finally she located him behind a particularly large stack of toast dipping crunchies into a large jar of marmalade.

"Never were one for over doing things where you?" she said, with a look of mixed amusement and disgust at his current breakfast choice.

"Well you said you were hungry!" he answered, opening what looked like his third crunchie judging by the small number of packets forming around him.

Shaking her head, she sat down across the table and started buttering her toast, before abandoning all pretences and taking a crunchie of her own and dipping it in the jar.

"Hey!" the doctor complained, laughing as they fought over the last crunchie in the pack. Breakfast after that became quite uncivilised, culminating into a full on food fight which resulted in them both needing to shower, Rose for the second time that morning.

At half eight in the morning, having been up so early, they found themselves lounging around the control room, fully showered dressed and with nowhere to go.

"I'm bored!" Rose complained for what felt like the six millionth time that minute.

"I keep telling you to pick somewhere to go! You're so indecisive!" The Doctor whined from under the control panel, to where he had retreated some twenty minutes ago. "Right, that's it. I'm taking you on holiday, and since you haven't picked anywhere, you'll just have to enjoy wherever I pick ok?"

"Great, we'll probably end up on some planet made of books or something!" Rose sulked

"Hey, that only happened once! And it turned out to be quite a good day out, even if I didn't mean to land there… well for me anyway." He added hastily noticing the scathing look on her face.

He crawled out from his hole, ruffled his hair for effect and then looked in the mirror to the left of him to make sure Rose was checking him out. Satisfied that his ritual was successful, he began to program co-ordinates into the control and after a moment they felt the comforting feeling of movement beneath their feet.

As soon as it began, they became quite still again and the Doctor ran over to the door and opened it, passing her a pair of sunglasses as they stepped out onto a beautiful paradise planet.

"Oh my god!" Rose squealed like a child at Christmas running out further onto the beach they had landed on. She removed her trainers to feel the sand beneath her toes and ran straight out into the water, which she immediately noticed complimented the weather perfectly- cool enough to be refreshing without being cold. "Why the hell haven't we been here before?" She asked as the Doctor came down to join her, his own shoes left in the middle of the deserted beach.

"You like it then? Come on," he said taking her hand and leading her along the shoreline. "Hotel's this way."

They walked for what must have been ages, but seemed like very little to Rose, with so much to take in. there were beautiful trees and plants as far as the eye can see and the sea was so shinny in the sun that she would have sworn it was filled with diamonds.

Eventually they rounded a corner to be met by a huge luxury hotel built into a cliff face. Judging by the amount of people that she saw wandering around in bathrobes, Rose guessed it was some sort of health spa. She instantly fell in love with it all the more.

"Good day to you both." Said a smartly dressed woman who Rose would have sworn was human if it were not for the fact that she was bright orange. "And welcome to Palm Shores health resort. If you would like to follow me I shall show you to our check in point and start you on your way to complete relaxation."

"Sounds good to me." Rose said, giggling as the Doctor poker her in the side before following the woman as if he had done no wrong.

As they stepped through the front door into the reception area, Rose was once more taken aback by the sheer beauty. The area felt light and airy with great glass windows looking out onto the white sand. The marbled floor ran all the way across the room and up the central staircase leading to bedrooms and spa areas on the floors above. She sat down on one of the large leather sofas and admired the view while the Doctor took care of checking in.

"Rite angel," he said walking over to where Rose sat. "I need to go and get us some clothes and stuff from the Tardis. But I've arranged for you to have a facial and massage while I'm gone, so you need to go upstairs with Susie and relax while I take care of everything ok?" he explained to a wide eyed, excited, Rose. He walked over to her, pulled her up of the couch and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, accompanied by an "I love you" and then he was gone.

As she followed the bright orange, green haired woman who, apparently, went by the name of Susie, she could not help but feel this holiday was going to be the answer to all of her problems. Just the atmosphere seemed to calm her more than anything had done in the past few weeks. As she lay down on the massage table and slowly began to surrender to total relaxation, she felt like- at that moment- she could have taken on the world.

_And that seems an appropriate place to end it. Hope you enjoyed it and it was worth the wait, however long it may have been. Lol. I promise I will bring you the last chapter soon. I would also like to take this moment to say that I would thoroughly recommend the musical Wicked! To anyone as it is truly amazing!_

_Please review so I can see if you have forgiven me for the time gap between chapters and luv ya loads xxx_


	9. The End Of It All

Two weeks of total relaxation later and Rose felt like a new person

_**Summary:**__ A difficult road lies ahead for Rose as she comes to terms with her true identity as Princess of Gallifrey. But with the hidden truth of her true parentage and being one of the only two Gallifreyan's in the universe weighing heavily on her shoulders can rose accept her destiny? And more importantly can the Doctor lift Rose from one of the lowest most dangerous moments of her life?_

_**Disclaimer:**__ you know, for my last chapter I was really hoping to be able to say that I finally owned Doctor Who and all this would be coming true, but no such luck, still don't own it. Not one single character. Also don't own Crunchies (again hugely disappointed!). anything else that looks remotely like its worth money, not mine!_

_Ok this is me apologising for the final time for not updating. The good news is this is the final chapter so you wont have to put up with my appalling updating skills any longer, lol. Quite simply, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story and I hope the ending is everything you wanted it to be! Also you all need to thank the wonderful Sarah fro badgering me relentlessly to update lol. So … off we go…_

**The end of it all.**

Two weeks of total relaxation later and Rose felt like a new person. She no longer carried around with her the troubles of losing her family and being one of the last Timelords in existence. She now understood wholeheartedly how the Doctor must feel everyday, but the wounds were no longer as fresh. She felt that she had truly begun to heal. A feeling that the Doctor could not help but notice and feel very proud of, more proud of himself than anything if he was truthful.

For the past two weeks he had kept Rose abiding to a strict schedule of breakfast in bed, followed by two hours of some sort of spa treatment that she hadn't done yet, before whisking her away to the beach, where he waited on her hand and foot before she was wined and dined in the luxurious hotel restaurant. So yes, it was safe to say the Doctor was very proud of himself indeed.

As for Rose, she was astonished by the level of care she had received. She had always known he must care about her a lot, but how much she was only just beginning to realise. She felt like she had fallen in love with her Doctor all over again, something she would have thought impossible before their holiday. She also couldn't understand how he had not gone insane with boredom. Secretly, she suspected him of sneaking off to exciting new planets while she was in her treatments, scouting out places he could take her and learning all the history to impress her with later. Still, whatever he was doing with his time, she couldn't fault him. He would arrive exactly on time everyday to pick her up and take her to the beach and she had barely lifted a finger in a fortnight. And tonight was to be no exception.

"So what are you going to have tonight?" Rose asked from her chaise on their hotel room balcony where she currently sat topping up her tan. "We practically know the menu inside out and back to front now so you must have some idea?"

"Well," replied the doctor as he admired a bikini clad Rose from his own seat (he was a guy after all). "I was actually thinking since it was our last night we could do something a bit different."

This caught her attention immediately. After travelling with the Doctor she had learned to associate the words 'a bit different' with something that involved either running for your life form a monster or dancing through a castle made of marshmallows, neither of which she particularly wanted to do after a long day of doing nothing.

"Erm… what exactly did you have in mind?" she asked delicately, not wanting to sound too worried.

The Doctor simply laughed and got to his feet. "I've just got to go out, get yourself ready for dinner and I'll come and pick you up in an hour."

Before leaving, he walked up behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders and placing a reassuring kiss on her head, as if promising her he would be back for her. "I love you."

And with that he left. Hearing the door click shut, Rose slowly stood up and looked out over the balcony, thinking about the last words the Doctor had said to her. He'd been saying it a lot lately, sometimes for no reason at all. It wasn't like she didn't like to hear it, but she could tell from his tone that he was worried about her and thought she needed to be reminded she was loved. She was snapped suddenly from her thoughts as a familiar man stepped out the front door and off in the direction of the Tardis. She smiled and blew him a kiss as he looked up, smiling back before telling her to go and get ready through the medium of mime. After attracting some strange looks from passers by, he carried on his way while Rose retreated to the shower.

With only five minutes to spare before the Doctor arrived to pick her up, Rose was stood in front of the mirror scrutinising her appearance. She had finally chosen to wear a pretty halter neck white sundress with pink flowers that was cut to the knee and flared out slightly at the bottom. On her feet she wore the beaded pink flip flops she had bought earlier that day. She wore minimal make up, with just a light sweep of eye shadow and mascara, letting her new tan shine through. Her hair had lightened significantly in the sun over the past two weeks so that it was now a brilliant platinum blonde that she let dry naturally to reveal delicate waves. There was no other way to say it, she looked hot.

Rose moved over to the wardrobe to look for a matching jacket and became so absorbed in her search that she didn't notice as the doctor sneaked up behind her slipping his hands round her waist. She jumped slightly before relaxing back against his chest with a smile as she recognised who it was. "Right on time!" she said, turning to face him.

"Aren't I always?" he replied with mock hurt before placing a quick but loving kiss on her lips. "Miss me?"

"You were only gone for an hour." She said laughing as he took her hand and led her towards the door.

"So! I missed you! Anyway don't worry about a jacket it's still warm out and if you need one later you can have mine. I love you." He finished with a smile that seemed to swim through her body right into her heart. No, she definitely didn't mind hearing it.

It turned out the doctor had been right about not needing a jacket, although she would never admit it. As Rose stepped out into the evening sun, a warm breeze met her face filling her with happiness.

"What are you smiling about?" The doctor asked, swinging her hand back and forth in his as he led her away from the hotel.

"Oh, nothing much. Just how amazing you are."

The Doctor laughed and he snaked an arm around her waist leading her further and further onto the beach. "Well I am pretty amazing I suppose."

"Doctor, where are you actually taking me? You do know the restaurants back that way. I mean I know you're amazing and everything but you've never really been known for your navigational skills." She remarked while pointing in the opposite direction to the way they were walking.

"You know, you don't half ask a lot of questions. I told you we were doing something a bit different tonight. And don't worry; you're not required to dance through a castle of marshmallows."

The next five minutes passed in silence, with Rose contemplating how exactly the Doctor had managed to read her mind without her knowing. The Doctor merely looked out to sea with a smug smile across his face. As they got closer to their final destination however, he stopped Rose in her tracks, producing one of her silk scarves from his pocket and tying it round her eyes so she couldn't see. When he was completely satisfied that she was sightless, he placed his hands on her waist and began to guide her gently forward, smirking silently at her intake of breath. Carefully, he guided her around a corner over to a sun lounger where he instructed her to sit down. He then sat next to her and removed the blindfold.

Rose immediately gasped with surprise as she saw the scene in front of her. They were in a secluded cove out on the beach, totally deserted except for the Doctor and her self. Taking a closer look, she noticed a barbeque ready to be lit and he had even managed to rig up a fridge containing delicious looking food and fruit cocktails. She suspected the Tardis might be hidden somewhere nearby as an energy source. She was currently sat on a chaise similar to the one on her balcony at the hotel, with a small table next to it for her to put a drink on. A little further away there was a patio table with two chairs for them to eat it and the entire surrounding area was draped in an array of white fairy lights for when it got dark.

Rose was too overwhelmed for words. She simply turned to her side and flung her arms around the Doctor who lay back on the chaise so she was resting her head in his neck. They sat like this for a while until Rose managed to speak. Propping herself up against his chest with her forearms, she looked him in the eyes.

"This is beautiful. I actually can't believe you would go to all this trouble just for me."

"Beautiful people deserve beautiful things Rose." He said brushing a stray hair behind her ear.

"I love you." She whispered before leaning down to kiss him, something the Doctor returned with no reservations.

After what turned out to be a half hour make out session, the Doctor reluctantly disentangled himself from Rose and started to light the barbeque. He tried for a further ten minutes to coax a fire before tiring of Roses giggles and resorting to the sonic screwdriver. With the food cooking merrily on the barbeque, he went to the fridge and handed rose a drink before rejoining her on the chaise, getting up every now and then to check the food.

In the time that elapsed they talked about everything, and by the time the food was cooked they were still chatting animatedly about anything that came to mind. Rose had never realised till now how much she missed their hours of pointless conversations, when they used to stay up until the early hours of the morning chatting about nothing in particular and laughing at each others stupid thoughts.

They sat at the table long after they finished eating; just holding hands and basking in how lucky they were to be together. Until suddenly Rose stood up, moved round the table and sat on the Doctors knee, snuggling into his chest. He immediately placed his arms protectively around her and kissed her hair.

"Are you ok?" he asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Yes, that's just it. I really am ok, for the first time in ages I feel happy with who I am, and it's all because of you. You know that I love you don't you?"

"Course I do." He laughed slightly as the serious look on her face. "And I love you too, which is lucky I guess because otherwise we'd be in a predicament right now."

"Doctor I'm being serious!" she half scolded half laughed as he stood her up and led her to the barbeque where the embers were happily glowing away in the evening light.

"And so am I. And another thing I'm quite serious about is dessert, wait here." And with that he wandered off, presumably to the Tardis and came back five minutes later with what looked suspiciously like two Crunchie bars on skewers.

Rose rolled her eyes playfully as he handed her one and began to toast his over the fire.

"I think we are going to have to get you some help for this Crunchie addiction of yours. Whatever happened to the traditional marshmallow toasting?" she asked, copying his rotation action with the skewer.

"Hey! You were the one that wanted nothing to do with the marshmallows. Besides crunchies clearly have the upper hand here." She laughed despite herself at his childish spirit when it came to chocolate and they carried on toasting the Crunchies while hugging each other against the chill starting to form on the wind.

To Roses surprise, the Doctors unconventional choice of dessert turned out to be one of the nicest things she had ever tried, and half an hour later she found herself curled up against him on the chaise, wrapped up in his overly large coat watching the stars move lazily through the sky, as they always seemed to do on this planet.

"Doctor, do you ever get tired of it? Travelling I mean?" Rose asked randomly, although something in her tone of voice made the Doctor realise she had been worrying about this for a while. He therefore decided to be completely truthful.

"Course I've been tired of it. In the past I mean. When you're on your own, even the most exciting planet in the universe can seem like you've seen it all before. The truth is, it's a lot more fun when you've got a hand to hold." He answered sincerely, wrapping the coat tighter around her as if assuring her that the only hand he wanted to hold was hers.

"Well you'll always have me." She smiled sweetly up at him before settling her head into his chest and closing her eyes.

Some time later, the Doctor felt Rose's steady breath on his chest. Looking down he found her sleeping in his arms. Not having the heart to wake her when she looked so peaceful, he carefully removed himself from her grasp and lifted her easily off the lounger, setting off in the direction of the hotel. The walk was relatively easy, even with the added weight of his coat there was not a lot to carry. The hardest task proved to be punching the code into the security lock on the hotel room which he only just managed before swinging the door open and placing her delicately on the bed. He covered her up with the blankets and retreated to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When he came back into the bedroom, he found that she had moved herself into the middle of the bed so that her head was resting on his pillow. Chuckling to himself, he crawled into bed beside her, wrapped an arm around her waist and watched her sleep before falling asleep himself.

The days that followed proved to be relatively uneventful. Rose and the Doctor spent most of their time relaxing in the Tardis, occasionally landing somewhere for groceries. The Doctor found himself doing more and more of the cooking after revealing his culinary expertise on the last night of their holidays, something he didn't really mind doing as Rose was always keen to help and cooking fast became their favourite quality time together. It didn't even scare him that his life seemed to be turning into one big domestic affair. It wasn't until their fifth night, while chopping up vegetables that Rose made a shocking request.

"Doctor, I was thinking." She said timidly, as if afraid of his reaction. He looked round with a reassuring smile as if giving her permission to continue. "It's just that well; I thought it might be a good idea to maybe go home tomorrow. To see mum, just for a couple of hours. I don't really want things to be the way we left them and I think I'm ready to handle it."

Sensing her anxiety about his reaction, the Doctor walked up to her and pulled her into a hug before speaking. "I think that's a great idea, as long as you're sure you're ready. I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for."

"I'm sure. I'm as ready as I'll ever be and besides, I'll have you with me so it can't be that bad." She smiled up at him.

"Always." He smiled back.

With the decision made, the Doctor decided it would be best to keep Rose occupied for the rest of the evening to keep her mind off the next day. After dinner, they watched films and ate popcorn until Rose fell asleep in his lap, at which point he bundled her up and carried her to bed where he lay next to her thinking about how brave she had become in the time he had known her.

The next day found Rose stood outside the Tardis in the middle of a rainy Powell Estate staring up at her mothers flat while the Doctor wrapped his arms protectively around her body.

"You don't have to do this you know. We can turn around right now if you want."

"No." she said with surprising confidence. "I'm here now and the longer I leave it, the harder it will be."

And with that, she set off up the flights of stairs towards her old home, hand in hand with the Doctor and looking a lot more confident than she felt. Without giving herself time to back out, she knocked on the door three times before putting her arm round the Doctor's waist for support.

The look on Jackie Tyler's face as she opened the door could not have mad it more apparent that this was not who she had been expecting. But once the initial shock subsided, she stepped aside and let them into the house with a small smile that Rose knew meant she was happy to see them.

"Take a seat Rose sweetheart; I'll put the kettle on."

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh as he sat down beside Rose placing an arm around her shoulder. Typical Jackie Tyler, uncomfortable moment, make a cup of tea. Some things never changed.

"So, how have you been?" Jackie asked, placing three cups of tea on the table and sitting down opposite them. "You certainly look well, that's a beautiful tan." She said with a meek smile.

Rose stood up, crossed the room and sat down next to her mother. Suddenly she felt a lot more confident.

"Look mum, we didn't come to discuss tans. I've come to say I'm sorry, for all the arguments I mean. I didn't mean to take it out on you and I know you didn't mean all the things you said. The truth is I still want you in my life."

"Rose I…"

But whether Jackie was about to apologise or not Rose never found that out, for at that moment the front door opened and Mickey walked in accompanied by a tall brunette girl that looked about the same age as Rose.

"Rose." He said in a shocked voice, guilt apparent all over his face.

"Hi Mickey!" she replied in what she hoped was a cheerful voice. "Who's this then? I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm guessing your Mickey's new girlfriend? I'm rose!"

Her hand of friendship however, was met by a suddenly silent room. The atmosphere was so thick it could have been cut it a knife and the Doctor, getting to his feet, sensed danger.

"Jackie," he asked, shocking everyone back to reality. "Who is this girl?"

"Well actually," Jackie began in a small voice, stepping forward. "This is Emily. I went to see her the day after you told me where she lived and well, she's been living here ever since. Her and Mickey are sort of a thing now."

"Don't you think that's a bit weird?" Rose blurted out before she could stop herself. She instantly regretted it.

"Excuse me?" shouted Mickey, immediately rising to the challenge. "How dare you! You left Rose! You went off with you're superior Timelord boyfriend and by the looks of it had some lovely holiday. Well guess what, no-one cares! We moved on as well! We don't need you! And no I don't think it's weird at all that you're not part of our life anymore, because for once I've got someone that cares about other people rather than just herself!"

Rose tried to answer back, but only tears came. She thought she had been so strong today coming here, but now she was right back where she started. Feeling unloved, with no family no friends and no life.

The Doctor felt his temperature rising, and for the second time in his life was faced with the unavoidable need to hurt Mickey the idiot. Before he knew what was happening his right hand had once more swung back and collided this time with Mickey's eye, who landed in a heap on the floor.

"That felt good!" he exclaimed, shaking off the pain in his bleeding fist. "Okay, Jackie kitchen now!" he ordered, and for once, without hesitation Jackie followed.

"Look Doctor…" she began.

"Jackie, I only need to know one thing. Do you still want Rose in your life, because if you agree with Mickey I'm taking hr home and you'll never see her again. I care about her too much to let you do this to her again."

"Of course I don't agree with Mickey. Rose is my daughter! You have no idea how bad I've felt these past two weeks wondering if I would ever see her again." Jackie cried, tears rolling freely down her face.

"Right, well then may I suggest you go and tell her that."

However, one quick scan of the living room told the Doctor that was not going to be possible.

"Emily where is Rose?" the doctor asked, both hearts beating wildly and he searched the flat frantically.

"She said she needed fresh air, she went outside." Emily said in a shaky voice while hugging her distressed mother.

"And you let her go on her own?" the Doctor shouted as he dived out of the front door towards the stairs.

His body was driving him forward as if the rout had been pre-programmed into his brain. He didn't know why, but for some reason his instinct was carrying him towards the roof of the building, and even more so it was telling him nothing good could come from such a destination.

Sure enough, the first thing he saw as he arrived on the roof of the block of flats, was his Rose standing unsteadily on the very edge on the building, looking down onto the street below.

"Rose." He said quietly so as not to shock her. "Rose, angel come away from the edge. We can talk about this, just you and me. I'll make it all okay again, you know I will." He reached out a hand to her as he said it, but dared not go any closer in case he shocked her into falling.

"Doctor you can't fix this. I love you but you just can't. They hate me for what I've don't and its only a matter of time until you hate me as well!" it was much worse than he had feared, she was hysterical. Tears rolled down her face as she struggled to draw breath. All he wanted to do was carry her home and never leave her again.

"Rose you know that's not true. I love you and wont ever stop." He was getting desperate; he needed a way of stopping her and quick. "Rose you haven't thought about this. If you jump you're just going to regenerate. It won't solve anything. Please let me help you."

That will do it.

"Doctor. I'm not stupid, I've read the books. If a timelord takes their own life it's seen as a coward's way out, they aren't rewarded with regeneration."

Dam it!

"Fine then." The doctor cried. "Do it, but if you do Rose, who's going to hold my hand. Who's going to make it exciting? Who's going to stay with me forever? Because you promised me Rose! You made a promise!"

Slowly, Rose turned her head to see the tears spilling down the Doctors face. For a moment she considered her options. Did she really want this to be the end? Finally, she began to step away from the edge. But as she took her last step, a loose piece of brick crumbled beneath her and before she knew what was happening she was falling, falling with nowhere to land but the hard ground.

"NO!" he screamed as she fell. As if in slow motion, he lunged in time to feel her finger tips slip trough his as he watched her fall. Sick rose in his throat as cold sweat ran down his face. And before he knew what was happening, he was running. Running faster than he had ever run in his life. She hadn't wanted to die. She turned back. He had to keep telling himself she hadn't wanted to die because that was the only way she could still be alive. But deep down he knew that the odds were she had given up by now.

He passed Jackie in a haze without registering her panicked comments about hearing screams and before he knew it she was hot on his tail. As soon as he reached the ground level he saw her, a heap on the floor surrounded by what looked sickeningly like blood. As he moved closer, rain started to fall around them.

With tears running freely, he took off his coat and laid it over her still body. He didn't want her to be cold.

Sitting down beside her, he cradled her body and cried softly placing kisses in her rain soaked hair. Minutes passed. Minutes that felt like years without her. He wanted to die, just to be with her again, he wanted more than anything to die. But he also wanted to kill Mickey, make him pay for what he had done. In the time he sat there, holding her body, the rain stopped, darkness fell and every second that passed he sunk into deeper despair. All the while, Jackie Tyler watched from a distance mourning the loss of her daughter and wanting so much to hold the Doctor and tell him it would all be alright, even though she knew it would not.

And then, quite suddenly, so suddenly that at first the Doctor didn't believe it. The smallest wisp of golden coloured vapour escaped from Roses mouth, followed by the deepest most urgent breath anyone had ever taken in their life.

The Doctor held his breath, barely hoping to believe, until finally her eyes fluttered open.

"Rose?" he whispered.

"Hi." She smiled. "it's ok, it's me. I didn't want to die. All the way down I prayed for them not to take me. Have I regenerated? Do I look any different?" she asked suddenly sitting up and examining her hair and hands.

The Doctor laughed before pulling tight into him and kissing her for several long, wonderful minutes. "You ask far too many questions." He sighed as he stood up and picked her up in his arms. "But no you don't look any different. I don't know why, must be a Timelady thing."

They both laughed between desperate kisses and he carried her back towards the safety of the Tardis, Jackie hurrying behind.

"I tell you one thing though." He said quite seriously. "You're going to have to be a bit more careful with those regenerations, bit clumsy aren't you?" he hugged her tightly as they sat down on the console chair and vowed never to leave her again.

Deep down the both knew they weren't out of the woods yet. In the near future important things would have to be discussed and Rose definitely needed help. But right now he had her safe in his arms and that was all that mattered.

_So there you have it! I hope no one was disappointed with this ending because I know its been a long time coming and to be honest most of the ideas just came to me as I was writing. Planning a little visit to the world of Harry Potter fiction next if anyone's interested then I will probably be back with some whofic when my Alevels are over. Also I have to say I love the doctors daughter and hope to see more of her in future_

_Also…. ROSE IS COMING BACK WOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

_LOL that seems an appropriate place to finish so I shall speak again soon…_


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